Unmasked
by Kiaira
Summary: Marinette is forced to transform in front of her family and friends after an Akuma attack and is now on the run. It's now up to her partner, Chat Noir to help protect her from the media's prying eyes, and from Hawkmoth who is now set on hunting her down.
1. Revealed

A/N: Another reediting/ rewrite of my first Ladybug series. This one is kinda important to me. And was inspired by the idea that if you died by an Akuma attack, there was no coming back with the miraculous cure. Also, this was originally written when there were only a few episodes out. So many people believed that Adrien's father was Hawkmoth. This will remain true for this story…if you don't like that, then turn back now.

Unmasked

Chapter 1

Marinette couldn't have been happier. It was her fifteenth birthday. She was with, Alya, who was busy distracting her while her parents finished setting up downstairs. Alya was texting a bunch of the guests, checking up on their locations, and information that Marinette herself was forbidden to know about. She didn't question any of this because she knew her parents and best friend were going all out for her party.

Curiosity was getting the better of her, and she wouldn't help but ask, "How many people did you invite?"

Alya smiled, "Everyone from class, except Chloe and Sabrina."

"Oh, that was a go-" Marinette froze in mid-sentence. Did Alya just say everyone except Chloe and Sabrina? Did that include Adrien too? Her eyes went wide and Alya sent her a knowing smile.

"I take care of my friend's," Alya told her.

Marinette was stuck with her mouth hung open. "Y-y-you invited...HIM!"

Alya grinned at her best friend. "And he RSVP'd too, said he'd be a little late due to a photoshoot, but that he'd come by."

Marinette jumped to her feet and began to pace around the room in a panic. She couldn't believe that Alya had done this. She didn't know if she wanted to strangle or hug her best friend more. "He said he was looking really forward to talking and getting to know you better."

Marinette decided that hugging her best friend was the best option. She latched onto Alya and hugged her while jumping up and down in victory. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Alya laughed at her friend's antics and let herself down from Marinette's grasp. "You're amazing!"

"Now, now," Alya tried to calm her best friend down. "It's not that big of a deal."

"It is to me," she twirled and spun around in celebration. "I'm so happy!"

"I couldn't tell," Alya teased.

Suddenly Marinette looked down at the outfit that she had designed for the day. She began to panic and ran to her mirror to look herself over. It was a strapless dress, made with pink Chinese silk. Its edges decorated with black lace trim. Black tights with pink flats. A black short shrug, the sleeves came down to her elbows. She looked back at Alya with a look of panic.

"D-do I look alright?" she questioned. "I want to look really pretty for him…"

"Marinette, how many times do I have to tell you, just find that confident woman I know you can be, and he will be tripping over himself to talk to you," Alya explained to her friend. She did come over to the mirror and looked her friend over closely. "But, this is a great start, you look awesome."

"Marinette. Your guests have begun to arrive," her mother called from outside her opened bedroom trap door. Marinette grinned like an idiot as excitement came over her.

"Let's go before you faint before we even arrive at the party," Alya chuckled taking her friend by the shoulder. Marinette followed her and the two made their way downstairs. She was glad that she had such a great friend to help her through all the bad in her life. Today wouldn't be one of those days, though. She had a great feeling about today.

She went downstairs to the back of the bakery, where a little patch of green grass was. A tiny little background that the family rarely ever used. There Marinette's parents and classmates greeted her.

She was greeted by Alix first, and then Nathanael. There were other students there as well. She greeted them all one by one, thanking them for coming. Her father, Tom had set up a table of treats and some music was playing over the radio her parents used to listen to while baking. She looked around excitedly for Adrien but he wasn't to be seen. She frowned but forced a smile on her face when she turned to her mother, Sabine. She motioned to a table beside her, where there were presents set up and waiting for her. Excited little butterflies filled her. It was the perfect for what she had wanted so badly for a birthday celebration. Sabine pointed her to a large box in the center. Marinette stopped in front of the table and examined the box before she began to take off the wrapping paper. She ripped the paper off and revealed a brand new serger.

"Marinette!" Alya gasped. "Is that the sewing machine you told me about?"

Marinette nodded and turned back to face her guests and parents. "It's perfect. Exactly what I wanted. I can do so much more stuff for designing now. Thank you so much!"

Her parents beamed with pride. "Why don't you open more?" her father suggested. "We have a few minutes more to wait for dinner to be delivered."

Marinette did just that. She opened Nathanael's next, had received a beautiful and framed drawn portrait of herself. It was so life like. She had known that he was talented, but never this much. "Thank you, Nathanael, I love it."

He visibly blushed, and she turned to open another. Though as she reached for another gift, there were screams from just out front of her parent's shop. Everyone turned and moved back through to the front to see what had happened. Marinette gasped as she saw more classmates that hadn't arrived yet, laying on the ground. Marinette gasped as she saw just before her eyes them turn from their young youthful selves to older, elderly aged. She looked up and saw an elderly woman floating in midair. She was dressed all in black and the dress was ripped and torn in all directions. Her hair was flowing in all directions, and she looked so incredibly angry. She looked haunting, almost like a spirit rather than an Akuma possession.

"You worthless, self-centered brats!" she screamed at Marinette and her classmates. "Can't be bothered to visit your oh so often forgotten elderly relatives! See how it feels to become old!"

Marinette saw her pick up what looked like a cane, thought with a sharp point at the end. She swung the cane and a black light shot out at her. Nathanael rushed out in front of her, and pushed her out of the way, taking the brunt of the blow. And like the others, she watched as the youth was sucked right out of him. He collapsed to the ground. Her classmates cried out.

"See how it feels!" the Akuma possession cried out. Marinette knew she had to get away from her family and friends so she could transform. She felt Tikki moving around in her jacket pocket that she had hidden her in before Alya had arrived telling her to act now. Marinette couldn't possibly get away. Alya and her mother were both holding onto her protectively. And Nathanael had already protected her.

The situation only worsened when Tom stepped forward. "Please, stop this," he begged. "We are so sorry that your family has forgotten about you. We are not like that, though, please, calm down. Join us. We will spend time with you."

Most people seemed to know that the villains who attacked were people suffering some sort of trauma or a moment of pure rage. She knew her father was trying to do what he could to calm the possessed woman. Marinette tried to warn him. She knew better than anyone that they couldn't be reasoned with. "Papa! Don-"

It was too late. The woman charged at her father, holding her cane, the sharp end pointing at her father and ready to stab him. Marinette screamed as time seemed to slow down, the sharp point of the cane coming towards her father. Her father covering himself up protectively.

Then the words escaped her mouth. "Tikki, transform me."

The light that covered her, transformed her and released her within milliseconds. As the light dissipated her friends and family stood around in shock. She didn't give them a chance to react as she was already on the Akuma, kicking the cane out of the Akuma's hand. The Akuma hissed at her and turned her attacks onto Ladybug. She was easily able to dodge the attacks. She grabbed her yo-yo and used it to try and trap the Akuma. She was easily able to dodge it as well.

She could hear her family and friend's voices, calling out to her, some in shock, and some just screaming in shock. She didn't care. She couldn't. She needed to stop this Akuma. She needed Chat Noir. Where the heck was he?! She needed her partner to help her.

The Akuma threw her into the ground, and she was nearly hit with the youth zapper ability. She yelped and jumped to her feet and did what she could to protect herself. She climbed to her feet and used her yo-yo to swing her up onto a nearby rooftop. The Akuma came after her, but Marinette saw this as an opening and grabbed the cane from the Akuma. When she safely landed on the roof, she snapped the cane in half, releasing the Akuma.

She took out her yo-yo and started to spin it around. "You're not getting away from me Akuma." She released the yo-yo and captured the Akuma easily. The yo-yo came back to her, and she released the Akuma. "Bye, bye little butterfly."

The possessed woman returned back to normal, landing on the street nearby. Her classmates also returned back to their proper age. She stood on the roof. She had been so set on saving her father that the full extent of her actions was setting in now. She stood on that roof looking down at her classmates below. Everyone stared up at her in shock. Her heart raced in her chest. She had revealed herself to her entire family and class. It was to save her father, but still, everything was slowly dawning on her.

It only worsened when she heard the helicopter above. She turned and looked at the helicopter, her mouth fell open. News crew's always got involved in the Akuma battles, playing the battles on live TV. This was the first time that they had gotten so much of the battles, though. How much had they gotten on film, though?

Then she heard her yo-yo beep, and she realized she was getting a call from her partner Chat Noir. She brought the yo-yo up to her ear so she could hear. "What have you done?!" Filled her ears. She knew her fate was sealed. The news crews had gotten it all on tape. And everyone knew she was Ladybug now. Everyone including Chat Noir.

She closed the yo-yo, her eyes wide. The entire weight hitting her like a brick _. 'Everyone...everyone knows that pathetic...pathetic little Marinette Dupain-Cheng is Ladybug.'_

Marinette didn't know what she could say or do. She couldn't face everyone. And she wouldn't.

Marinette did all that she could do.

She ran.

A/N: So I added a few details, changed a few others. It's pretty much the same. Only a few changes throughout the story I guess. Hope any new readers will enjoy.


	2. Hypothermia

**A/N:** As I type this up my own little Black Cat, Pancakes is cuddling with me. How fitting for this chapter. You'll all get that reference by the end of the chapter (winks)

Unmasked

Chapter 2

Adrien had been to one end of the city to the other looking for Ladybug. The city was in shock over Ladybug revealing herself. And many people were already being interviewed about what they thought about her identity. Many people were surprised by her ending up being as young as she was. Adrien was shocked that it ended up being the girl who sat behind him in class every day. Even more, so that he had actually been on the way to her birthday party that very day when it happened.

When he had grabbed his staff and called her it was out of awe and confusion over what he had just witnessed. She had hung up before he had a chance to say anything else. What else could he say, there were no words. He knew that some media had spotted him already and were looking for him throughout the day and now evening. He didn't care. He had to find his Lady. Even as his ring beeped and told him he didn't have much time left, he didn't care. He had extra cheese with him. He'd transform again and again if he had too. He would find her. He just had too.

His ring beeped again to tell him it was critical. He dove into an alleyway, just as his transformation ran out. Plagg fainted into Adrien's hands exhausted. Adrien passed him a piece of cheese, though Plagg was just too tired.

"Please Plagg, we have to find her," he pleaded, but Plagg could barely lift his head.

"I know," he told Adrien. "Just give me five minutes of rest."

Adrien knew it would have to wait. Plagg was just too drained. He had never transformed three times in one day before, let alone in just a few hours. He placed the spent Plagg in his jacket pocket to rest, and he took out his phone. He used it to look up any news or sightings of Ladybug. There was nothing, just a lot of gossip.

He did, however, go to Alya's blog to see if she had posted anything. She had. It was a plea for Marinette to come home or to at least let her parent's know in some way that she was safe. He put his phone back in his pocket in frustration. He needed to find her. He needed to see her. He needed to know if she was alright.

He had always imagined his Ladybug being this strong person in and out of battle, but knowing that she was his classmate Marinette left him worried. She didn't seem like such a strong person in the class. She was shy and reserved. And the look on her face after the battle that the new crew had filmed proved that she did have that brave side all of the time. She was vulnerable, and she sometimes did need help. Yet, Plagg couldn't do anything else tonight. He needed the rest. And there was little he could do to track her down as a civilian. He didn't want to admit it, but he was done for the night too.

8 8 8

Marinette was thankful that it was warmer that night than it had been. The shrug that she had been wearing was more for looks than warmth. Even so, Tikki sat beside Marinette and used a little of her power to keep Marinette even just a little bit warm.

Both were under the walkway of the Petit Pont. Both were very hungry, and Tikki wouldn't admit it to Marinette in fear of making her worry, but both were so hungry that they wouldn't be able to transform. If an Akuma attacked they were in deep trouble. Marinette was very hungry, having not eaten since breakfast. Her phone battery and SIN card were removed. So the hundreds of calls that she was sure she had gotten were not even noticed. And no one would be able to track her either.

"Had this ever happened to Ladybug's of the past?" Marinette asked Tikki.

Tikki did her best to comfort Marinette. "Many times."

"Did it work out for them?"

Tikki knew perfectly well that it hadn't. Several had their downfall due to their identities being revealed. For some though it had worked out well in the end. Tikki wanted Marinette to not lose her hope or spirit. "Sometimes. It depends on how strong willed each individual was. You're a very strong one. You can get through this."

Marinette didn't seem convinced. And she was so hungry. The lack of food in her stomach didn't convince her that things would be alright. She was only fifteen years old, what was she going to do?

She laid down on the concrete. It was dark and there was no light, so Marinette knew they couldn't be spotted this late at night. Tikki curled up next to her. "Rest up, Marinette."

And Marinette did, closing her eyes and falling into an uncomfortable, but dead-like sleep.

8 8 8

Adrien couldn't concentrate at all during his modelling shoot. It was the next day and it was a Sunday and he was booked solid until just before dinner. He was just so worried. Alya hadn't posted any more posts on her blog, and she hadn't posted any on the Ladyblog either. However, all of his social media accounts were blowing up.

There were many pictures of Marinette's parent's bakery. Many selfies taken out front and many gifts left outside the shop. Her parents hadn't opened the bakery since. Many news crews were hanging around too. Adrien had to turn his phone off because he was becoming increasingly angry with the whole situation.

So when the shoot was over, he grabbed food from the table that was laid out for the models and crew to snack on. He grabbed enough to feed himself and Plagg and excused himself. Carefully slipping away into an alleyway, he quickly fed Plagg some cheese, while he himself stuffed a few bits of apple slices into his mouth. Once the two were fed, Adrien transformed and climbed to a roof to continue his search. It didn't take the media and 'fans' long to notice Chat Noir, but he didn't care. His focus was solely on finding his partner.

He ran faster from roof to roof than he had ever before. He looked around everywhere, and checked his staff, hoping that she too was transformed and he could contact her. There was no signal. This frustrated him further, as he knew that she wasn't transformed right now. The task just began to feel a little bit more impossible. He knew he couldn't possibly just give up.

 _'Ladybug, where the heck are you?'_ he thought in frustration. He had been searching but had turned up nothing. And it had quickly become nightfall. And there was no sign of her. His transformation wore off and Plagg fell to the ground once again in exhaustion.

Though Plagg's ears twitched. He sat up, thought he was clearly weakened. "What is it Plagg?"

"She's nearby," he explained. "Tikki is nearby and she's sending out a distress signal to me. Kwami's only do this in life or death situations!"

Plagg quickly found the strength to jump into Adrien's bag and grab some cheese. Adrien didn't completely understand who Tikki was, but Plagg wasn't giving him a moment to process this information. Plagg ate up his cheese faster than Adrien had ever seen him do before, and he turned to his user. He grabbed Adrien's ring finger and started to shake the hand in a full panic.

"Come on, hurry up!" Plagg cried. "Tikki needs us!"

Adrien just shook his head, "Plagg, transform me!"

Without a complaint for once, Plagg entered Adrien's ring, and with a flash, he was transformed. Taking out his staff, Chat Noir looked at the built in GPS. A small red dot was flashing. His felt his heart skip a beat, and he turned to look out in the direction of the map.

"Hold on, I'm coming for you, Marinette."

8 8 8

Tikki was in a complete panic now. Marinette was huddled into a ball under the bridge. She was shivering severely and her lips had turned blue. All of the colour from her face was gone and had a sickening grey hue to it. Her breathing was harsh and she seemed rather confused. She had stopped even responding to Tikki an hour earlier. The starving girl was now freezing. This evening was even colder than it had been before this season. Tikki wouldn't have been surprised if the snow would begin to fall soon.

Her dear friend was in serious trouble. She had used what little energy she had to send out a signal to Plagg. If he was nearby then he would receive it. She was so worried that Chat Noir wasn't looking for them and even worse, Plagg and his human weren't nearby at all. They were near the heart of the city, not far from the bridge they had been hiding under. This evening they moved a short walk before and were under the Pont Marie.

She looked down at the shivering Marinette. "Hold on," Marinette, help is on the way!"

She searched around to see if she could spot Chat Noir. She wished for this more than she had ever wished for anything else before. Marinette was going to freeze to death if nothing was done. She concentrated on sending out the signal as she flew around the bridge looking out for anyone coming to their rescue. Then she saw it. She spotted a black figure racing toward them. Her eyes lit up. It was Chat Noir!

She took off took off to meet them. She flailed her tiny arms and called out to him. "Chat Noir! Chat Noir! Chat Noir!"

The hero heard her and he stopped to look where the tiny voice was coming from. Tikki stopped a few feet in front of him, still waving frantically. "She's here! She's in big trouble!"

Adrien came to the edge of the bridge, and he followed. Tikki stopped and hovered over to one spot where there was some long grass growing. Chat Noir could see a figure laying in the tall grass, huddled into a ball. As he neared, he could easily tell that it was Marinette. He could also tell that she wasn't in good shape at all. In fact, he knew exactly what was wrong with her.

"Hypothermia!" Adrien gasped. He tried to get her attention by placing a comforting hand on her face and addressing her, but she was suffering too much to really notice or care. He knew it was bad, so he knelt down and scooped her up.

"Do you have somewhere safe to take her?" Tikki asked. She was serious and looked at him with such concern. His mind raced. He couldn't think. He was panicking too much to properly think.

 _'A place...a safe place...I can't take her home, she'd be found. The media are swarming her place. Safe...safe.'_

Then it hit him. The guest house. It was an apartment a block or so from his house. It was a two bedroom and Adrien had a key. He went there when he needed a place to be away from it all. That place was safe.

"I have a place," Chat Noir told the small Kwami.

He shifted Marinette in his arms and readied her for some more major sprinting. "Get in her sweater, because I'm going to be going fast."

Tikki listened to him and climbed into the stop of Marinette's shrug. When she was secured, Chat Noir took off running from under the bridge to jumping on a nearby building. And so he began to run and jump from roof to roof. The running was exhausting but even so, he did not stop.

Even as the sound of a helicopter rose up behind him he didn't stop. Though he did look back. It was a television helicopter and they were being filmed. _'Not now!'_

He sprinted and faster, hoping to lose the news crew. This was the worst possible time for this to happen. _'These idiots are going to get her killed.'_

He had to do something fast. There was so much pressure, though, he couldn't just think of something. So when Tikki poked her head out and screamed. "Knock the power out!" Adrien thought it was the greatest idea ever. He searched around for a power box and quickly spotted one.

"Cataclysm!" he roared as he jumped towards the box and slashed at it. He had destroyed the box and inside the transformer. The grid was fried to a crisp and part of the city disappeared into the darkness. _'Perfect,'_ he thought with a grin. He could see better in the dark as Chat Noir, so he began to start running once again the helicopter was forced to back off. He was sure that the city wouldn't approve of him destroying a whole power grid, but he didn't care. This was a life or death situation.

He was glad they were nearby his home because his ring was beeping at him again. He landed on the apartment balcony and reached for the door. It was locked. Before he could smash it in a panic, Tikki used some of her remaining power to move through the glass door, where she unlocked it for the hero.

He threw open the door and moved inside. Just in time, as Plagg and him separated. Plagg collapsed on the ground, but Adrien kept going, carrying his Lady to the bedroom. He placed her down on the bed. _'Now, what?'_

Tikki followed him in, "Chat No-" she froze in her tracks as she looked at his true face for the first time. Her big blue eyes grew bigger. "...You."

Adrien didn't want to waste any time and looked at Tikki, "What do we do?"

"Oh! " she said snapping back to the situation at hand. "We need to actively warm her body temperature back up." Tikki knew that Marinette was in a state of shock from the hypothermia. She was confused and if she survived this she knew that Marinette wouldn't remember much if anything at all. "Do you have a heating bag or a hot water bottle here?"

"Not here," he groaned. "An ice pack yes…but not a heating bag."

"A heating blanket?" she questioned. He shook his head. "We can't use a bath, too much warmth at once could stop her heart. Go close the balcony door and come back in here and take that shirt off."

"W-what?" he gasped. Adrien looked at the shivering Marinette and then back to Tikki. She looked angry at him and he knew that she meant business and that there really was no other option. A blush crept up on his face but he ran back to the living room and closed the balcony door. Along the way, he picked up Plagg and put him at the edge of the bed.

He saw Tikki trying to remove the shrug Marinette had been wearing. What was left was the strapless dress that she had underneath. Tikki did her best to pull the shrug off of Marinette. He helped Tikki and removed it, and placed it on the nightstand. He quickly removed his shirt and placed it on the nightstand as well. Tikki motioned for him to get into the bed. He did just that. He pulled the blanket up from underneath Marinette and up and over them both. She was mumbling to herself, but still shivering and sickly pale.

He moved in close, putting his arms around her, and pulled her close to his exposed skin. Tikki was still in a state of urgency, but as she watched the two she couldn't help but think _, 'If she knew who was in bed with her right now, holding her so closely...I think she might just die of happiness.'_

Adrien held her so protectively and was even rubbing her back and arms in comfort, trying to warm her chilled skin. Tikki was happy Chat Noir ended up being him. He really didn't care who Ladybug was like Marinette had always feared. He just cared about her.

After half an hour the shivering slowed, and Marinette's breathing returned to normal. The colour returned to her face and she was relaxing. And she had eased into a peaceful sleep. Adrien had also fallen asleep beside her, all while still holding her.

Satisfied that Marinette was okay, Tikki moved over to the sleeping Plagg. She laid beside him and patted his head. She giggled and placed a kiss on his head. "You were given a good one this time," she whispered to him. Then she got comfortable and eased off to sleep.


	3. Waking Up

Unmasked

Chapter 3

Marinette felt so much warmth around her. And she had felt such softness beneath her. _'So soft,'_ she thought. _'I don't remember my bed being this comfortable.'_ The soft mattress beneath her felt like a cloud. She had only felt such a soft mattress once while staying in a fairly nice hotel. The warm surrounding her felt like nothing the young teenager had ever experienced. She remembered a similar feeling from when she was much younger and she had snuck into her parents' bedroom as a child. Her parents had embraced her as a child as they slept, and the young Marinette felt so comforted and loved.

This feeling was so similar, but there was something different. Something that didn't feel like any feeling she experienced in the past. For one, the arms that she thought she felt around her were not as large as her father's strong ones. And they weren't tiny and slim like her mother's either. They had some muscle to them, but they also were that of a young person. Someone of a similar age perhaps.

The sleepiness stopped her from fully realising what she was thinking, but then the realisation hit her suddenly and her eyes flew open. She took in a sharp breath and looked up at the person she was sharing the bed with. She couldn't make out any features. It was still dark out, but all she could make out was the shape of the person. Panic overcame her, and Marinette pushed away from the figure with a harsh shove. She gave a panicked yelp and ended up falling off the side of the bed. The person she was sharing with the bed gave a painful grunt after she pushed them, and they fell out of the opposite side of the bed.

"Who are you?!" She cried.

"Marinette!" she heard Tikki's voice call out to her, but she couldn't see the Kwami in the darkness.

"Tikki!" she called out. "What's going on? Who is that?"

Before Adrien could respond to her, Tikki did. "That's Chat Noir! You had hypothermia and nearly died out there. He saved you."

Marinette spotted a lamp, and scrambled over to her and tried to turn the light on. She turned the switch, but nothing happened. "Marinette, there is no power, calm down." Tikki flew in front of Marinette and started to emit a low red light from her body. "It's okay, it's really okay."

"Ladybug," Adrien called to her. "It's alright. I promise."

She looked at him, her eyes right on him. Tikki's body gave enough light that she could see his body from the chest down. She could see that he was shirtless, but that he was wearing his jeans still. She could also now make out the form of another Kwami. Her eyes went wide. "Y-you're not transformed."

"Of course he isn't," Plagg commented, yawning loudly afterwards. "We've been up almost two days looking for you, we couldn't stay transformed any longer."

Marinette covered her eyes. "I don't want to know who you are." Marinette had tears falling down her cheeks as she covered her eyes. Adrien felt a pain in his chest when he heard this. He had risked a lot trying to save her, and even though he had fallen asleep he felt that he had been a perfect gentleman. Though he knew that she had a lot of stress going on right now, and he felt extremely bad about that. She had transformed in front of everyone out of necessity. She was probably pretty scared right now. He wanted to comfort her.

"If that's how you feel, then I won't reveal my identity to you," he told her. He reached for his shirt, still on the nightstand, and he put it back on.

Tikki tried to tell Marinette otherwise. "B-but Marinette, he really cares about you."

"Please, keep your identity secret," she begged, seemingly ignoring Tikki. "Protect it with your life."

Adrien looked down at Marinette, his eyes in full contact with hers. She was just like she was in class every day. Unsure and worried about things. This was the complete opposite of the Ladybug he knew. Even so, he was surer than ever that he was going to win her trust, just like he did when they were both masked. "I must go," he told her. "I have to get to class, and I haven't been home. I better go before they realise that I'm missing. I'll be back tonight. And I'll be masked, I promise."

Marinette seemed pleased to hear it. She sat back, clearly a bit more relaxed. "Chat...thank you."

He sent her a smile, though he knew she couldn't see it. "Anything for my Lady."

He walked back into the living room. Marinette could hear him moving around out there, but she was still stuck in her place. She looked at Tikki worryingly. Tikki placed her tiny hand on Marinette's cheek. "He only did what I asked him to do," Tikki said. "There was nothing else he could do to warm you up."

Marinette looked at the Kwami in front of her. She caressed Tikki's cheek. "I know," she whispered. "I just...he just...he was the last person I wanted to know who I was."

"But why?" she gasped. "He cares about you, you know that."

"He was the person who I thought would be the most disappointed," she replied. Another single tear fell down her cheek in shame. Tikki hugged Marinette's hand, trying to comfort the crying teenager.

Meanwhile, Adrien gave gotten Plagg another piece of cheese and had transformed so that he could get home while not being seen. With Plagg, he could hear Marinette. Her words stung, and he formed his hands into fists. Her words hurt, but not because she was trying to hurt him, but because she was in pain. _'Marinette, I promise you, I'll get you through this. I will make you smile again. Just wait and see. You'll be that strong, confident Ladybug again.'_

He opened the balcony door and stepped out onto the balcony. He closed the balcony door behind him and jumped onto the edge, and with a great leap, he was off.

After about half an hour, and Marinette was sure that Chat Noir was gone, and she had gotten the crying out of her system she climbed to her feet. She felt the sting of hunger hit her. She quickly moved out of the bedroom, and into the living room. It had a kitchen just off to the side. She hurried into the kitchen to look around for food. She found some pudding cups and some bread and butter out waiting for the two. Next to it was a note.

Marinette ate two slices of bread and ate the pudding. Sharing one scoop with Tikki, who felt full after one spoonful and her own slice of bread and butter. Marinette felt bad now that she was full and her behaviour in front of Chat Noir. Tikki had gone into full detail about how he had followed Tikki's distress signal and found her. How he had knocked out one of Paris's power grids to hide them from the media. To how he had warmed her body by Tikki's instructions and had ultimately saved both of them. Chat Noir had feelings for her, she knew that, but he prided himself too much on winning her heart. He wouldn't risk that by doing something awful to her. She was too shy to open the letter, scared of its content's, but Tikki opened it and read it out loud to Marinette.

 _Ladybug,_

 _I first want to say to you that I am so glad that you're safe. I secondly want to apologise for the call I gave you after what happened. I was in shock, and I know that my call hadn't helped you much. I was so close to you when it happened. I should have been there. If I had just gotten to you in time, maybe this wouldn't have happened. And if it had still happened, maybe I could have helped in some way. I don't know._

 _What I do know is that you are currently safe. You're staying in an apartment my family rents especially for when family visits. And luckily for you, my lucky charm, the family doesn't visit. There isn't much in the way of food, but I will bring more with me tonight, and I'll make you and Tikki a great dinner._

 _I don't know when the power will turn back on, but there are lots of extra blankets if you need them, so keep warm. Also, there is plenty of books on the bookshelf. I'm sure one of them will tickle your fancy. So stay inside, and stay safe._

 _I look forward to seeing you night._

 _-Chat Noir._

Tikki held the letter up to her, "Seeeeee!"

"Y-yes I see," she admitted.

Tikki placed the letter in Marinette's hands. "He cares, he really, really cares."

Marinette felt really bad about the whole thing and sighed. "So I suppose you've seen his face."

Tikki nodded. "Yes, after we got into the apartment, Plagg and A- I mean, Chat Noir separated. You were kind of awake, and kind of out of it. I knew you wouldn't remember much. He's really handsome, in case you're wondering. Kinda like a model."

Tikki was dropping serious hints to Marinette, but the teenager wasn't picking up on any of them. Her mind was elsewhere. Tikki decided she should drop it for now. Marinette cleaned up the mess from their early breakfast and then began to look around the apartment. It was fairly small, but it was really nice. It looked like something you'd see in a showroom at a furniture store.

The second bedroom was exactly the same as the master bedroom, except there were two twin beds instead of a queen sized bed. The living room had a very comfy couch that felt like a feather. And right beside the television was the bookcase that he had spoken about in his letter. She did like to read. She looked the bookcase over and pulled out one book. She looked the cover over and read the title, then read the back. It peeked her interest.

She sat down on the couch and pulled a blanket that was on the headrest of the couch. She wrapped it around her and curled up with Tikki to read. She opened the cover and found something written in pen. She read it over.

 _To Emilie,_

 _The greatest and most wonderful person I've ever met. Every moment we spend together is another moment I shall cherish forever._

 _Always Yours's,_

 _Gabriel_

She traced the writing and looked down at Tikki. "It's written so delicately, and it looks like it was written with a calligraphy pen."

Tikki looked up at her. "I bet a lot of thought went into choosing this book. It must hold a lot of importance to the couple."

Marinette looked at the message over and over again. And thought about the deep meaning behind it. She knew these two must have been close to Chat Noir. _'I bet it's his parents...or maybe grandparents even.'_

Marinette carefully turned the page, trying to not damage the book. And she relaxed and began to read it.

8 8 8

Adrien hadn't slept at all after he got home. There was nothing amiss, and there were no messages on his phone. And no panic. So he figured that he was safe. And when Natalie came to fetch him, she didn't seem to be acting any differently. He ate his breakfast, and got into the car, and was getting his usual drive to school. He had turned on the TV in the car and saw the footage of him taking out the power grid from the night before.

The reporter was zooming in on Chat Noir, and pointing out the unconscious Marinette. She had a panel of 'experts' who theorised about what was wrong with the young girl. Not one mentioned the possibility of hypothermia. Some mentioned they thought that Chat Noir was kidnapping her, while others argued that Chat Noir has been on film talking about his strong relationship with Ladybug, and how he was likely rescuing her, perhaps from an undocumented Akuma attack.

Adrien grumbled under his breath about stupid reporters trying to get ratings. Then he saw another news anchor talking about her family's bakery. Mentioning how they hadn't opened up shop again today. Even more flowers and gifts were outside the shop today, and even more, people were crowded outside. He was disgusted. Especially with the people who were peeking into the store front. He turned the t.v off and was immediately in a bad mood.

His Ladybug was no sideshow. She was a young girl. A student he went to school with since he started going to public school. A normal girl with a normal life, who just happened to go out and save Paris once in a while. Didn't her good deeds justify some privacy? Marinette didn't deserve this. She had given up so much for Paris. This wasn't fair.

His driver came to a stop, and he exited the car. He glanced over and he could see the bakery. The people around it were insane. Cheering and calling out to Marinette to come out. Why didn't they know that she wasn't home? Her parents were pleading for her to contact them. Chances were she wouldn't go home, even if she had the chance. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to look. It was Nino.

"Nino!" he said in surprise.

"Hey man, what's up?" Adrien shrugged his shoulders, and took a glance back at the bakery again, then back at Nino. "Yeah, pretty crazy isn't it? I was on my way when it happened. Did you make it? I know Alya invited you."

"No, I was on my way too, though," Adrien sighed. "I feel bad for her, though. She's got to have a million things going on in her mind right now."

Nino glanced over at Alya who was sitting on the stairs and was on her phone. "Yeah, Alya has been trying to reach Marinette since it happened. But all calls are going straight to voicemail."

Adrien frowned when he saw the frustrated Alya hang her to open up and cursed out loud. She was clearly frustrated over the disappearance of her friend. She was probably really worried. Adrien wished he could say something to her to let her know that Marinette was safe. He couldn't though. So when they walked past her towards class, he stopped and knelt down to Alya's level. "I'm sure she's safe."

Alya burst into tears upon hearing his words. "No she's not!" she cried. "Did you see the news? She was being carried off somewhere by Chat Noir! She's probably really hurt! She could be dead and I wouldn't even know it!"

Adrien was taken back by her outburst. This wasn't the Alya he knew. The level headed, calm and always so serious Alya. Adrien tried to comfort her. "Hey...hey, Alya, if she's with Chat Noir, I'm sure she's safe. Everyone knows how crazy about her he is. You write about it on your blog all the time."

"But I need to know she's alright. Her parents need to know. We're not some random fans from around the city. I've been her best friend since last year. And her parents deserve to know. They're suffering worse than me!"

She fell to the ground, and it was Nino, who dropped down to her side and then wrapped his arms around her. "Alya...it's okay. Ladybug is so strong. And you always told me you thought Marinette was this strong person deep down, she just needed to realise it. I bet she's plotting her big come back to school."

Adrien knew that wasn't true. She wasn't even considering coming back to school, but she knew this was for the best. Alya needed some comfort. He grabbed her hand and helped Nino bring her to her feet. "We're here for you, and Marinette too. If we see her, we'll reach out."

Alya thanked him, and the two helped her to class and into the classroom. Inside everyone was talking about the buzz from the weekend. Even Chloe was talking about it, though she was talking to Sabrina about it on a much darker level. Adrien decided to ignore her, but he did his best to talk to Alya and Nino about anything about Marinette. He had already had enough gossip about it to last him a lifetime.

That came to a halt when Chloe spotted him, and jumped on him. "Adriennnnnnnn!" she said in a sing-song voice. "What do you think? Don't you think it's rather pathetic little Marinette was Ladybug? What a joke!"

He felt the corner of his eye twitch. He didn't like anyone referring to his Ladybug as pathetic. "It's not a joke," he said, pulling her off of him. "And Marinette isn't pathetic."

Chloe seemed a little surprised, but she didn't seem to let that faze her, and she continued. "She's supposed to be this great hero, but in the end, Chat Noir has to save her. I guess we know who the real hero is."

"How dare you," Alya hissed. "Repeat that to my fac-"

Alya was cut off when the teacher came into their classroom. She didn't look like she had slept in a few days. "Please, class settle down."

She placed her briefcase down on her desk and looked around. She looked at Marinette's empty desk and she sighed. "As you all know, that one of your classmates has had a rather...tragic weekend, and while I know a lot of you are fans of Ladybug and are pretty excited about her being in our class...I want to ask everyone to please not gossip about Marinette." She removed her winter jacket and placed it down on the desk chair and she sighed heavily. "I talked to her parents this morning. They haven't heard from her, and judging from the news last night, Marinette...could be in a lot of trouble. I ask for only positive wishful thinking on the matter."

Adrien was thankful they had such a kind teacher, who wasn't seeing this as a chance to gossip. Adrien reminded himself to thank her at some point in the future. It eased his mind that he could at least be free of being reminded of Marinette's unfortunate bad luck.

8 8 8

It was after eight o'clock when he got to sneak out. He had managed to take some food from the kitchen that he was sure no one would notice missing. He had packed his backpack full of the stuff and was heading over to the apartment now. He landed with all the grace of a cat on the balcony and slid open the door. She turned up from the couch and looked up him. The power had been restored that evening, and she had the lamp on so she could read. "Chat!" she said in surprise.

He walked over to the kitchen to put down his bag. "I'm sorry I'm so late, but I brought enough food for Tikki and you for a few days."

She climbed off the couch and walked over to the kitchen. She looked at him shyly, having not seen him since that morning. She had been less than kind to him. Having screamed at him, then had a panic attack. He looked at her curiously and sent her a smile. "Was your day alright?"

"It was alright?" she said, thought her voice was low and below a whisper. He had heard her. "I read a book...well almost all of it. Got about two chapters left." Her voice remained low.

He was pretty concerned with her quietness, but he tried to not act awkward about it. He took out a salad, and then he took out some small cuts of beef. "I hope you like beef because I thought the extra protein would be good for you."

She peeked at the food and lightly nodded. He placed the food on the counter and turned to face her. She blushed and looked down at her feet. "What's wrong?"

"It just feels...strange...without my mask on," she confessed. "I feel naked."

"I understand," he told her. "I probably would too."

"C-could you try and do me a favour?"

He nodded at her. "Yeah of course, what?"

"Could...could you get me a mask?" she asked. "One to wear when you're around. I know you know who I am now and all...but I want one less thing to worry about. Pleaseeee."

She was almost pouting when she said please, and if she had been doing it on purpose he would have thought that she looked cute. He knew better, though. She felt seriously uncomfortable right now. He was sad to hear that she felt this way in front of him, even though he was the one person she could always trust. He had her trust once, and he would do anything to earn it again now that her secret was out. "No need to beg, My Lady," he sent her one of his flirty smiles. "I will find you a mask to wear. It's a shame we must cover up that beautiful face, but if that's what my Lady wants, my Lady will get it."

He watched her cheeks turn pink, and he had to try to not take advantage of the situation and continue flirting with her. So he turned back and stepped into the kitchen. "Actually, a mask might not be such a bad idea," he said. "I could wear one too, that way we wouldn't need to use up Plagg's power when I check up on you."

She nodded in agreement. He then began to prepare dinner. She watched as he cooked the beef up on the stove, and then the rest of dinner. He pulled out a small loaf of French bread and placed it down on the table. It was cut in half and Marinette saw it and went over to the counter. She studied it and looked back at him. "I know my dad's cooking anywhere."

"What can I say, my family's personal chef loves your father's bread," he explained. "It was on the counter, and seeing as I enjoy the bread myself, I thought it might bring some comfort to you."

"That...so thoughtful," she explained to him. "Are...they alright? Do you know?"

"I haven't seen them," he confessed. "But their shop has been closed since the incident. A lot of people are stopping to see the place. Lots of flowers and gifts being left. You're friend Alya uploaded a video, though. Have you contacted your parents? At all?"

She shook her head. "I haven't even turned the t.v on to see the news coverage."

Adrien took out his phone and went to the blog Alya ran, and opened the latest video. The one where Alya was pleading for Marinette to contact her parents. "At least watch this."

He pressed play on the video, and they began to view it together. It was being shot from Alya's room.

"Marinette, if you're watching this, I am making a desperate plea to you. You have a lot of people who care about you and are so worried about you. I'm not asking that you contact me, I just ask, no...beg you, please contact your parents. They are so worried about you. Just call them and let them know you're safe. Use a payphone...or email. Just something! Please...I miss you."

Alya had burst into tears during the video, and it had made Marinette's legs go weak. So when the video ended, Marinette collapsed to the ground. Chat Noir caught her and lifted her back up. She was pressed up against his body, and if she hadn't been upset, he probably would have been enjoying the closeness. "I'm sorry," he said. He knew she had to see the video, but he knew that she would become upset.

"No...I needed to see that," she said, her voice was still low. "I've been incredibly selfish."

"No, you were scared," he told her. "I would have run too."

He continued to hold her up, even as she looked up at him with her stunning blue eyes. "Chat...I need another favour." The way she looked at him made his heart race, and his green eyes went wide under his mask. She had never looked at him like that before. Not as Ladybug and certainly not as Marinette. He would only nod at her. "Can you get a message to my parents for me?"

"Of course," he told her. "What do you want me to tell them?"

"Tell them I'm safe, and I'll visit them late one of these nights, to leave my balcony door unlocked," she explained. "Tell them their little Mari-pie is safe. They'll believe you then."

"Mari...pie?"

She released herself from his grasp and moved over to the couch and sat back down. "My father's nickname for me as a kid. He'll know I told you about the nickname. It's been a secret, even from Alya. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes," he breathed. He moved over to the couch and knelt down in front of her and grasp her hand. "I'll do anything to help my partner."


	4. Delivery

A/n: Okay guys, simmer down. No need to pm me and beg for an update. I am just very busy. I work over 60 hours a week. I have no time for myself, let alone an update. So here is it. Just wait another two weeks. I'll be off work for a month and I'll have plenty of time to write.

Unmasked

Chapter 4

Ladybug was on everyone's minds. That's all anyone talked about, especially Chloe. Once a super fan, she was now just Ladybug's biggest critic and was slamming Marinette fulltime. Adrien had heard enough by the time lunchtime came about. Having heard enough, he left the school grounds and transformed. He snuck onto the school roof. He easily moved from room to roof. Finally, he moved toward the bakery, landing on the living room windowsill. He peeked inside and saw both her parents sitting on the couch together in silence. He knocked on the window to draw their attention.

Marinette's mother was the first one to jump to her feet, and she rushed to the window, unlocking it and opening it for the young hero. "Chat! Please, do you know where our Marinette is?" she begged. He climbed inside and closed the window behind him, despite hearing the people below gasp and cry for his attention. He ignored them and turned back to the worried parents.

"She's safe and in one piece," he assured. "She had a minor case of hypothermia, but she's safe. Not a scratch on her. I came to deliver a message for her."

Marinette's father, Tom stood beside his wife. "What message?"

"She wants you to keep her balcony door unlocked. She's going to try and come home in the next few days, but it will be very late at night, to avoid as much media as possible," he explained.

"We can do that," Tom told Chat Noir. "Anything else?"

"Well, she wanted me to tell you both that 'Mari pie sends her love'," he said with a laugh. "A nickname she said you'd understand."

Both parents chuckled for the first time in a few days. That was their daughter all right. "Also, do you have a mask?"

"A mask?" they both asked in unison.

"It's hard to explain, but I promised Marinette I'd help her get a mask," Adrien explained. "She wore one to the festival of masks, I assume she still has it."

"Y-yes!" Marinette's mother, Sabine, explained in excitement. "Are you the young man she danced with?" He blushed a little but he nodded and the older woman smiled at him. The same smile that Ladybug gave him after every victory. "I'll get the mask."

She left the room, heading upstairs. This left Adrien with Tom alone. "I never would have guessed my Marinette was Ladybug."

Adrien was confused. "Why? Didn't think she was capable?"

Tom shook his head. "Not at all, my Marinette is very capable. She's just not good at keeping her own secrets. She's had a crush on the same boy at school for the last year and it's painfully obvious to everyone. And Ladybug has been around...almost two years now."

Adrien was surprised to hear that Marinette had a crush on a boy at school, but tried to push the thought aside. This wasn't the time or place. "Are you...disappointed?"

"That my daughter is a superhero? Who does whatever she can to save a life, and is loved by our city? Noooo," Tom laughed. "We're proud of her. We're just disappointed that she feels that she had to deal with this on her own. She always has us. And Alya too. She calls or visits us every day."

Adrien felt pretty good about Tom's answer. It was what he always thought a proud father's reaction would be. He felt envious of Marinette, for the great parents she had. He hadn't been so lucky.

"I feel like, Marinette has...self-image issues," Adrien told Tom. "She refused to even let me, her partner know her identity. She always said it was better that I didn't know. And I overheard her recently say that she was worried people would be disappointed that she was Ladybug."

"She's a teenage girl, it's extremely rare a girl wouldn't have some self-esteem issues," Tom explained. "Marinette always never felt good enough. Which is why I supposed she never told Adrien she had a crush on him."

Adrien's eyes went wide, but he tried to act naturally. Did Tom just basically tell him that Marinette had a crush on him? Him. Not Chat Noir, but his everyday boring alter ego, Adrien. Adrien was without words as Chat Noir for the first time ever. He had his mouth open to try and say something to cover his tracks, but nothing came out. Finally, Sabine returned with an overnight bag. He seemed confused about it, but she handed it to him. "Marinette is going to need clean clothes, plus a warm jacket, some boots as well. A few things she'll know will come in handy. Can you get this to her?"

"Y-yeah," he stated. "Of course I can."

"Thank you for saving our daughter's life. We will never be able to repay you. Please be safe," she told the young hero.

"Of course," he said, trying to sound like it was no big thing to me, but really his words were stuck in his throat. Tom's words were still ringing in his ears. He had no idea how to even process this information. Normally he'd act on the news, run to her side and just kiss her, but this was the worst time. Marinette was in distress, and the last thing she probably wanted was feelings she clearly wasn't ready to share to come out.

He waved goodbye to the couple and moved to the window. He put the overnight bag over his shoulder and opened the window once again. He jumped from the window to the street below. Before he was swarmed by the media and fans below he jumped again over them, and started to run down the street. He jumped up onto a roof and jumped onto the school roof.

He peered down into the centre of the school, to make sure no one was around, and he carefully slipped onto the second level. He untransformed, and carefully slipped into the boy's locker room. He peered around and was thankful that no one was around. Plagg floated behind him, he was chuckling to himself. "All this time, you've been pinning for her, and she had no interest in you. Yet, she falls for your everyday self, and your everyday self pretty much ignored her. You, humans are so amusing."

"Shut up," he growled in annoyance. He slipped into the locker room and headed over to his locker where his fencing equipment was kept. He unlocked it and placed the overnight bag inside. He was pretty annoyed with Plagg. He didn't want to be reminded of his faults, especially when it came to his Lady. She had been so close all along, and even worse, she had loved him longer than he even paid attention to her. He felt like such an ass.

He remembered every time Marinette had walked up to him to say something to him and hadn't been able to get a single coherent word out. Stuttering and barely making any sense. She had been shy, and unable to say anything clearly to him. He always assumed that she was just shy around new people, but now he realised from the way she interacted with other classmates, it wasn't new people; it was just him. How many times had she tried to tell him? And how many times after she ran away did he assume she hated him. She did clearly hate him when they first met in the same class. He just assumed after he apologised to her in the rain that day, she continued to not trust him. He had been very wrong.

8 8 8

Marinette looked at the balcony door when she heard a light thump. She watched as the balcony door opened and in came Chat Noir. With him was a large shoulder bag. She knew the bag was hers from her closet. She looked at him in confusion. "What's that?"

"From your mom," he answered. He placed the bag down on the coffee table in front of her. She reached over and pulled it into her lap and unzipped it. She shifted through the bag and saw clean clothes, a hairbrush, shampoo and conditioner. Winter boots and a winter jacket were also in the inventory of the bag. She also saw at the bottom, a brown wig styled in a pixie cut. She giggled and brought it out. "My mom is a genius."

"A wig?" Chat Noir questioned her.

"She thinks that if I can disguise myself then I can move around the city, even just a little. It would be great if my transformation ran out and I needed to walk back here. If we had to go fight that is," she said, softly fixing the wig. "It was for a fashion show I was part of at summer camp a few years ago."

She placed the wig down on the coffee table and searched around in the bag some more. She found some tampon's at the bottom but didn't pull those out, noting that Chat Noir probably didn't need to know she had those. Luckily she wasn't due for another two weeks. Beside them, though, was the mask. Light blue in colour and covered in plastic glass beading, with lace around the edges. It was a very delicate mask she had made, but she didn't care right now. She placed the mask on and looked up at Chat Noir. She sent him that positive upbeat smile she always displayed as Ladybug. It was like she had just transformed into his Lady. "That's so much better."

She jumped to her feet and stretched. He blushed a little as he realised that she wasn't wearing her black tights today. Her dress was a lot shorter then he realised without them on. He could see her bare long smooth legs. _'This is punishment for not noticing her the last few years,'_ he thought to himself.

"So," Marinette turned to him after she finished stretching. "How are my parents doing?"

"They are doing great, I mean, all things considered," he told her. "Your parents were happy to know you were safe. They saw the news footage of...you unconscious with me carrying you. Also...they're proud of you."

Her eyes went wide, and she covered her mouth. He could see the corner of her eyes burning a little, but she smiled. "They said that?"

He sent her a smile and nodded. "They are so happy that you are such a compassionate hero. They are just...disappointed that you felt you had to face this alone."

She frowned and looked down at her feet. She knew they were right as always. She ran away like a coward and left them to face the crowds of unforgiving media alone. She'd make it up to them, she just had too. "That was wrong of me. I've never been good at facing my fears."

Adrien immediately thought of Tom's confession of who his daughter had a crush on and felt the weight of the name crushed him a little. She even just told him she wasn't able to face things she feared head on. Clearly, those were facing being unmasked, and confessing her love to the boy she liked. He wanted to grab her and take her into his arms right at that very moment. He wanted to tell her that it would be alright. She didn't need to face anything else alone. He didn't need to tell her, though. He would show her. He would remind by her side through all of this. It didn't matter if she never knew his feelings, or she knew his identity or feelings. He would get through this, one way or another.

A/N: For those confused about Festival of Masks thing, and the dance, and the mask and all that. It's a one-shot I wrote called Behind the Mask. To which, Marinette attends in a classic French gown and wears a mask. She meets a young man and they end up sharing a very intimate dance, only for her to realise that its Chat Noir, untransformed. They are both wearing masks, so they don't realise who the other really is. So you don't actually need to go read it or anything.


	5. Surprise Visitor

A/N: Here we go as promised. Enjoy!

Unmasked

Chapter 5

Adrien went to school yet again, tired and annoyed with the gossip. The only thing that was of any significant difference, was that Alya was even more upset than she was Monday morning. Nino noticed this as well and asked Alya what is wrong. She covered her face in frustration. Adrien looked at the young woman in front of him, feeling every bit of sorrow that she was feeling. He couldn't imagine what she was going through with missing her best friend. "Have you hear from her yet?"

"I haven't...but her parents have," she explained. "Or Chat Noir talked to them at least."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Adrien asked.

"No!" she hissed through anger. "I need to see her. It is one thing to hear that she's safe, but I need proof. Marinette is my best friend, and if she was bleeding and dying that idiot would be laying there telling me she was just fine."

Adrien felt bad that he hadn't thought of going to Alya to tell her as well that she was alright. She was clearly very traumatised by this whole situation. He wanted to reach out to her and tell her _, 'Marinette's safe, I know because she's living in my apartment.'_ He knew that wouldn't go over well, so his mouth remained shut.

Nino moved around to sit beside her, and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, and it was the best comfort he could find to help her. She didn't seem to know if she wanted to scream or cry. She held her head in her hands and took in deep even breaths. Adrien tried to find words to comfort her. "Marinette is Ladybug, I know she can take care of herself."

That seemed to be completely the wrong thing to say to Alya because it set her off. She stood to her feet, narrowing her eyes at Adrien. "You never even talked to her before you knew she was Ladybug. You pretty much ignored her entire existence, and now you suddenly pretend that you cared all along. All she ever wanted to do was tell you she was in love with you, and you only care now that you deemed her worth something. So don't pretend like you actually know her or care about her!"

Nino stared at her with his mouth hung open, and Adrien did the same. He had never heard Alya sound so angry before. He tried to think of something to say to defend himself, but he couldn't find his words. It wasn't like Alya was wrong to be angry at him. She was right. He never really tried to talk to Marinette much before, just that one time when he approached her after their fight with Evillustrator, where he basically asked her for a compliment about Chat Noir to feed his ego. Then there was when he first joined the class. Besides those, he very rarely spoke to her. And Now he was only openly comfortable talking to her now that he knew that she was actually Ladybug, the girl he had been in love with for nearly two years now.

"Alya, that's not fair," Nino finally spoke. "Adrien cares about all of his fri-"

"They aren't friends," Alya snapped at Nino. "No matter how hard Marinette tried to be his friend, he never even tried to reach out." She glared down at Adrien from her desk. "Don't you dare even speak her name around me again!"

She grabbed her bag and books and pushed past Nino. She left the classroom, where everyone watched in stunned silence. Even Chloe was at a loss for words, as they watched Alya left the classroom. No one knew if she would return. Adrien stood, and decided he would go after her. He had to talk to her, even if it was just as Chat Noir. She had to know that Marinette was safe. If that was all he could offer her, then that was what he'd offer her.

8 8 8

Alya walked down the street, tears flowing down her cheeks. She felt awful for snapping at her classmate, but she was tired of everyone talking to her about her best friend, acting like they were suddenly best friends. Most of her classmates didn't talk to Marinette outside of class. Marinette only ever came to outside events with invites from Alya.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, checking it for the millionth time, praying that Marinette would contact her. There was nothing. She put the phone away and hugged her arms to her body as she wandered down the street. She felt like she was going crazy, and she didn't know what she was supposed to do or where she could get the answers she needed.

"Hey...Alya." It was said in a hushed tone, but it was enough to catch her attention. She stopped and looked around. Her eyes stopped on a figure in an alleyway nearby, waving at her, but also trying to keep a low profile. She realised quickly that it was Chat Noir himself. She rushed across the street quickly, meeting him in the alleyway. He pulled her further into the alley, ducking them behind a garbage bin.

"Chat!" she gasped.

"Alya, I've been looking for you everywhere," Adrien lied. A little white lie wouldn't hurt. "I tried to catch you before you went into the school, but I missed you, and then realised you left."

Alya grabbed onto the collar of his costume, her eyes were wide and pleading. "Chat! Where is Marinette? I need to see her!"

"She's in hiding," he told her.

"Obviously," she growled at him as she released him from her powerful grip. "But I need to see her."

"That's up to her, not me," Adrien told her. He wanted to put her mind at ease, but he didn't want to upset Marinette either.

Alya stood to her feet. "Fine, if you won't help me, I'll find her myself."

"Alya...wait," he sighed. His hands dropping down to his sides in defeat. He couldn't stand Alya being upset at him anymore, and he knew that both girls really did need each other. Alya was a huge Ladybug fan, but Alya was an even bigger fan of her best friend. She wouldn't tell anyone. She just needed to know that Marinette was safe.

Alya turned back to him after he called out to her, and folded her arms in front of him. He immediately felt as though he was going to be scolded like a child. "What?"

"I...I'll give you the address, but you have to keep it secret," he told her.

She rolled her eyes. "I deleted the Ladyblog last night. I'm no longer going to be stalking my own friend, and I'm certainly not going to be telling anyone where she is. It's too dangerous for her, I know that."

Adrien was surprised to hear that she had deleted her own blog, in favour of her best friend. He knew right away that she meant in every way to keep her safe. "Alya...I didn't realise that you...deleted your blog."

"Why would I keep the blasted thing?" she cried. "My best friend was Ladybug. Facing all that danger, each and every day, fighting villains and nearly getting killed. And I put it all on my blog! Reporting every little detail like it was mindless entertainment. I was cheering on my own best friend like it was a damn gladiator ring, waiting for blood to be spilt."

Adrien moved over to Alya and grabbed her around the waist. She yelped in surprise and asked him quickly what he was doing. He sent her a grin. "Why, bringing you to my Lady."

He picked her up, and leap onto the top of the building. She cried out in surprise. She placed her arm around his shoulder and held on for dear life. He was amused, to say the least, but he continued on, carrying in the direction of the guesthouse, where Marinette was hiding out.

8 8 8

Marinette put another book down. Having completed another one. She had found that all of them were written in, with sweet little messages to Emilie from Gabriel. She now figured that they were Chat Noir's own parents. Though she had no need to do anything else with that information. She wasn't wearing her mask right now, as it was too uncomfortable to wear all the time. She fell back on the couch and yawned.

How she wanted to go outside. She was starting to get cabin fever. Being all locked up like this just wasn't any fun. She used to run around the city with Alya or running around the city on patrols with Chat Noir. She hadn't done either in days. She was feeling restless. Tikki was at least there to keep her company. The tiny Kwami was there, resting alongside her. Marinette rolled over on her side and closed her eyes. Perhaps a nap would help.

She relaxed, or started to when she heard the sound of the sliding door to the balcony open. She sat up, expecting Chat Noir to have come and check up on her way earlier than expected. Her eyes stopped on the form in front of her. She wasn't sure if she was actually seeing what she thought she was seeing. Chat Noir was standing there, but he wasn't alone. And who he was with was exactly where her focus was on. "A-Alya!"

"Marinette!" Alya cried. She practically ran over to Marinette and hugged her, tackling her back down on the couch, much like Marinette always hugged her. "Marinette!" She was crying as she held onto her best friend. "You're alright. You're really alright! I didn't know. I'm so sorry!"

Marinette hugged her best friend, and then looked over Alya's shoulder at Chat Noir, who was clearly amused by Alya's reaction. She sent him a smile. She didn't think that she was actually ready to face Alya, but now that she was by her side, she was glad she was here. Alya pulled back and smiled at Marinette.

"I'm so happy to see you," she continued to cry. "I've been so unbelievably worried about you."

"I'm okay, I really am," Marinette assured her best friend. "I just...was scared if I went home what everyone would think."

"Who cares what they think!" Alya shouted. "You're Ladybug, the absolutely coolest fricken hero ever!" She looked over her shoulder back at Chat Noir. "Even this dork couldn't deny that."

Chat Noir blushed a little, but smiled and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah...I hate to admit it, but my Lady is as cool as they come."

Alya turned back to Marinette. "Soooooo! When are you coming home?"

Marinette looked down and frowned. "I don't know."

Alya looked down at Marinette's hand and reached to hold it in comfort when she noticed the tiny little red creature in her lap. Marinette jumped in surprised. "W-What is that?"

Tikki floated up to Alya's level. "I'm Tikki! Nice to finally meet you formally Alya."

"T-Tikki?" she looked around the Kwami and looked at Marinette. "What i-is a Tikki?"

Marinette put her hands around Tikki and bought her close. "Tikki is my mask. Or so she likes to remind me. She's basically what lets me become Ladybug."

"So...she's the one who gives you all those cool powers," Alya asked.

"I am the mask. Marinette is the hero," Tikki explained. "I just help her out."

Alya looked back at Chat Noir once again "So...does he have a Tikki?"

"My name is Tikki," she explained. "But I'm a Kwami, and yes, Chat Noir has his own Kwami."

Tikki looked around at Chat Noir and smiled at him. Alya questioned the smile, but she turned her attention back to her best friend. She tried to find some words to speak to her, but she wasn't sure what she should say or do. "So...you're okay then."

Marinette nodded. "I am thanks to Chat."

"So...what happened exactly?"

"I was sleeping under bridges," Marinette explained. "And Sunday night...it was pretty cold. I was wearing only what I had at the party. I got hypothermia...and Chat brought me here and saved me."

"Oh! So he had some hot water bottles and such!" Alya beamed looking back at Chat. "You're pretty smart."

Adrien's cheeks burned. Not because of the compliment, but because he was reminded that he hadn't used hot water bottles. He didn't have any to use. So he used all he had. He used his body. He remembered the feeling of his body pressed up against hers and the feeling of his arms around her, holding her so closely. Alya must have noticed his discomfort, and then turned back to Marinette, who was blushing even redder than he was. She seemed confused but then looked at Tikki who was smiling at Alya with a knowing smile. Then it hit Alya.

"YOU TWO CUDDLED!" Alya gushed. "I always thought that Ladybug and Chat Noir were into each other, BUT OH MY GOD! MARINETTE!"

"W-w-we're not together!" Marinette stuttered, placing her hands over her friend's mouth.

Alya seemed to ignore Marinette and pulled her hands off of her mouth and continued. She was talking in a hushed whisper tone now. "What about Adrien?"

Adrien's attention was drawn to the conversation even more now. Curiosity was getting the better of him. He pretended to not be ease dropping and headed to the kitchen to get something to drink. His cat-like hearing though was still listening. Alya and Marinette noticed that he had left, and the two girls continued clearly believing that their conversation was private. Still, they spoke in a hushed tone. "I told you, there is nothing between us," Marinette tried to explain. "And Adrien...well...it might be best I give up on that dream."

"I said some harsh words to him today," Alya said regretfully. "I am just so tired of everyone talking about you like your private life is some source of entertainment. And so many people are acting like they cared about you all along. It really bothers me."

"And that's why I think I should move on. The thought of having people care for me, when they really don't care, hurts," she told Alya. "Adrien probably talks about me all the time with the others. He probably only notices me now because I'm Ladybug. I wanted him to like me for who I am. For being Marinette...and Ladybug. Mostly Marinette though."

Adrien felt hurt by her words, though he didn't know what else to expect. He had fallen in love with her as a hero. Not as her everyday self. He always felt that he was not himself as Adrien, but as Chat Noir he was exactly who he wanted to be. He always thought Ladybug was that person as well, perhaps he was wrong.

"But...Chat likes you," Alya whispered. "Everyone knows it."

Then Adrien heard the only hope he needed to hear. "He's been nothing but my rock the last two years. I was always scared he's be disappointed in who I was. He's been amazing since this all happened. I couldn't deal with this without him."

"Marinette..." Alya gasped. "A-Are you...falling for him?"

She shrugged her shoulders and whispered to herself. "Maybe...I already have."

A/N: I will update another chapter sometimes this weekend. I have a ton to do between today and tomorrow. Enjoy.


	6. Returning to the Fight

**A/N:** Adult life is hectic. I have no time for hobbies. That is my only excuse. I will be trying to pump these out the next three days since I have them off.

Unmasked

Chapter 6

Marinette had the t.v lightly playing in the background. She didn't want to miss any news of an Akuma attack in case one happened. She wasn't exactly thrilled with listening to them talk about her so lightly, but she knew she had to have it on just in case. She was a super hero after all and she needed to know if the citizens of Paris needed her. As the tv played softly in the background, she was making herself some lunch when Tikki came flying into the kitchen waving her hands up in down in a panic. Marinette had been humming to herself, and she realized she must have blocked out the happenings on the screen.

It was then that Marinette knew that an Akuma had decided now to appear. She ran out and saw that the attack was taking place near Notre Dame, and they were vandalizing the landmark. She gasped, and for a moment she had forgotten all her fears. She reached for Tikki. "Tikki, transform me!"

It wasn't until she was actually transformed that she realized how quickly and without hesitation she had acted. She stood frozen in the tiny apartment kitchen for a moment, before she took in a deep breath. It didn't matter if this was Hawkmoth trying to draw her out. She had to do something. She reached for the balcony door, and pulled it open. Climbing on the railing, she leaned forward, and leapt onto the roof across the street. As she landed, she took off into a sprint, heading straight for Notre Dame.

Marinette wasn't feeling exactly happy about having to face the public once again. She knew the media would probably give her a hard time. They would probably stick close by, possibly get attacked and she'd have to save them. Or worse, they'd try and follow her after the battle. She could feel a pain in her stomach as nervousness fell over her. She tried to will this away, as she knew that she had to be a hero right now. This was no time to doubt herself like she did everyday as Marinette.

She stopped just a few blocks from Notre Dame when she saw that the vandal had drawn a very poorly sketch of Ladybug with x's for eyes and her tongue sticking out. She rolled her eyes. Clearly it was a taunt to get her attention. And, she had to admit, it worked. There was another helicopter for a news channel hovering above. "They don't know when to quit," she sighed.

"Don't worry My lady, we can handle it," a voice called to her. She turned back and saw a smiling Chat Noir. "It's good to see this side of you again."

She looked back at the landmark. "I'm a bit nervous to be back."

He approached her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Just remember, they may know who you are, but they can't stop you from being who you are. Only you can. Just be the heroine we both know you are."

She felt her heart rate quicken and she smiled at her partner. "T-Thank you, kitty. As long as you're with me, I can handle anything."

Marinette was the first to take off and head in the direction of the Akuma. Chat Noir was close behind her. And despite the helicopter spotting them, and hovering over them as they raced towards the scene, Marinette kept focused and kept an eye out for the Akuma. She spotted him just left of the portrait of her. Writing in large bold letters with a paintbrush. 'Ladybug sucks.'

Marinette could see that the Akuma looked like a young child, but was dressed as a clown in a bright colored, clown inspired school uniform. It looked to be a young boy. Round in shape, and holding the large paint brush, painting away on the cathedral.

They reached the edge of the buildings right in front of Notre Dame. Chat Noir took out his staff and called out to the Akuma. "Hey! Clown boy!"

The Akuma's attention was drawn back to the two heroes. He mostly ignored Chat Noir, but he grinned at Marinette when he saw her. He started to laugh to himself. It was a creepy childlike laugh. It reminded Marinette of a child's laugh from those Japanese horror movies. She glared at the child. The child was about to head towards them, holding his large paintbrush like a sword, ready to attack.

Marinette jumped into the air and headed toward the clown, reaching for her yo-yo and swinging it in the direction of the clown. She was easily able to wrap the yo-yo around the clown, and pulled them toward her. At the same time she jumped toward the Akuma, ready to attack it head on. Though, something with incredible force struck her, and the moment it did, it knocked the wind out of her, and she began to crash to the ground.

Chat Noir acted quickly and jumped in through the air, catching her. Her yo-yo snapped and fell to a clatter a few feet away. Her eyes when wide as she gasped for air. Chat Noir protectively held onto her but was glaring up from above. Marinette looked up and her eyes widened. There were two of them. Dressed exactly the same. The other one had to be hiding and was waiting to strike her down. If it weren't for Chat Noir, she may have been a ladybug pancake.

She managed to catch her breath and she stumbled to her feet. It was just in time, as the twin clown's with their paintbrushes swung blob's of paint at them. Chat Noir moved in one direction, while Marinette went in another direction. The blobs splattered as it hit the ground. Marinette noticed right away that as it hit a nearby parked car, the car turned into what looked like a cut out of a child's drawing. _'We got to avoid that,_ ' she reminded herself as she ran towards her yo-yo and picked it up. She backtracked and motioned for Chat Noir to get back into the air.

He listened and the two ran towards the buildings and began to scale them. "Their brushes," she called. "I'll get one, you get the other."

He nodded in agreement, but another splash of paint was coming right at them. Marinette was able to dodge it, but as she flipped away, she heard a yelp. Once landed she looked back at one of the blobs that landed on the roof. She could see it spread out, and in its place what looked like a child's chalk drawing of Chat Noir. She gasped in horror. "C-Chat!"

There was no response. She turned to the clowns who were giggling at her reaction. She turned and glared at the two clown's. _'How dare they,'_ she screamed in her mind. They couldn't do that to her partner. He was her eyes on the world right now. He was her friend, and she couldn't do this without him. She needed him back. Marinette felt some of the fire that she felt during these battles build up inside of her. Her eyes narrowed.

"Lucky Charm!" she shouted. She lifted her yo-yo into the air, and with a bright light the miraculous object that would help her came out and dropped in front of her. She caught it and looked at it in surprise. "A second yo-yo?"

She questioned it for only a moment. She had to get both paintbrushes at the same time she realized. She took hold of the second yo-yo and held it in her other hand. She grinned at the clowns. "You want to play?" she asked. "Cuz, I'm ready to play."

She leapt off the building and took aim with one yo-yo. It easily wrapped around one paintbrush and she yanked it back. She did the same with the other yo-yo and she pulled it back. Both paintbrushes were yanked out of the clown's hands and she took hold of both of them. She grinned at the clown's. She readied to snap both brushes in half at the same time, but one of the clown's spoke up, freezing her actions. "Hawkmoth says he'll be coming for you soon, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Better watch your back." They giggled that awful laugh that sent a chill up her spine.

She snapped the brushes in half. And to her surprise, two butterflies came out. That was normal, but she realized quickly that it was two parts of one butterfly. As they flew they connected back into one. She threw her yo-yo at the butterfly. "You're not getting away Akuma!" She captured the Akuma and pulled the yo-yo back to her and opened it, releasing the purified Akuma. "Bye, Bye little butterfly."

Then she took the extra yo-yo and threw it into the air. "Miraculous Cure!"

The blobs of paint disappeared and the vandalism on the Notre Dame disappeared. Then the clown's returned to their human form. Two young twin boys. They looked around confused, and stunned. Chat Noir jumped down to meet her. He smiled at her, holding his fist up to her. She smiled at him and held her fist up to him. "Mission Accomplished."

"Great job my Lady."

Marinette smiled at him, proud that not only was she able to take care of this, but she was also able to face it by herself, even with Hawkmoth's threat. The way Chat Noir smiled at her, made her feel better about everything. Nothing had changed. She was still able to save the day.

Though the sound of people surrounding them and a crowd forming. And on top of things, the helicopter was right above them recording everything live. "Um...what now?" she asked her partner.

"I'll distract the crowd," he told her.

The beeping of her Miraculous running out of power made her heart race. He heard it as well. "Never mind, just run, I'll distract the media."

She nodded, and jumped over the crowd and began to run down one of the streets. She climbed onto a roof and continued to run. If she could get a few blocks away from the crowds and away from the eyes of the media then she could untransform and maybe, just maybe get to the apartment. She had the key that Chat Noir had given her, so she hoped she could get inside without being noticed. She turned back to see that Chat Noir had jumped into the helicopter and looked to be talking to the crew. _'Crazy kitty,'_ she thought.

She drew her attention back to the roofs and ran as fast as her legs would carry her. She hoped she had enough time.

8 8 8

Marinette watched the news when she got home. She had just made it to the apartment when the transformation wore off. She quickly ran to the t.v to see if Chat Noir was alright. There wasn't a live feed anymore, but they were replaying some of the footage over and over. Her mouth hung open as she saw the footage of Chat Noir jumping into the helicopter. He looked pretty angry.

"Do you guys have nothing better to do than harass a fifteen year old girl? A girl I might add who has saved your sorry asses on multiple occasions. We have saved this city for the last year and have asked for nothing in return. Now I'm asking, no, actually I'm demanding that you leave Ladybug the hell alone!"

The footage was cut off and it went back to the reporters who were talking about the footage. They were interviewing people on the streets and were asking how they felt about Chat Noir's request. To her surprise, most of them agreed with Chat Noir's message. Only a few stated that they felt that they deserved to know who their hero really was, and that as a public figure they deserved to know everything about her. Marinette rolled her eyes, and turned off the t.v. Just as she did, she heard the sliding door open. She quickly grabbed her mask, and put it on her. She still didn't feel exactly comfortable with Chat Noir as herself just yet.

Even so, she climbed to her feet and ran to meet Chat Noir. "Seriously, you jumped into the helicopter. What were you thinking?"

"They made me angry," he replied. They both heard the beep that came from his ring. She grabbed his hand to try and look at the ring. He pulled away. "I don't want to leave."

"Y-you can't stay," she warned him. "You need to protect your identity, even from me."

"Marinette, please," he begged. It was the first time he had called her by her real name since he learned her identity. She drew away from him as he reached for her.

"D-don't use my name," she whispered. "Call me Ladybug."

He felt like he had been slapped, but he still didn't back down. "Ladybug...don't ask me to leave. I want to stay with you longer."

She turned her back on him, especially when she heard his ring beep again. A light covered him, and his transformation wore off. She walked away from him, and moved into the bedroom. She turned the corner of the bedroom, but left the bedroom door open. "Fine," she said from inside the bedroom. "Sit on the other side of the wall."

"W-Why?" he questioned.

"I don't want to know your identity...not yet," she explained. "You can stay and talk...if you stay on that side of the wall."

Tikki and Plagg hovered beside each other. Tikki was frowning, but Plagg chuckled at Adrien. "You heard the woman."

"Fine," he said in defeat. He thought it was better than nothing, and took a seat on the floor outside the door.

"You're the one who keeps forgetting his mask," she reminded him.

He knew she was going to bring that up. And he knew she was right. He did keep forgetting his mask at home. So he knew he was the only one to blame. He would grab it tonight when he got home. He wouldn't be forgetting it again.

He listened, trying to hear her breathing, but untransformed he couldn't hear her even calm breaths. It was something he had grown used to hearing as Chat Noir. Adrien felt kind of naked himself right now. He supposed he realized what her words meant that night about her feeling naked without her mask. "You...you did great today," he told her. "Just like the Ladybug I know and lo-"

He cut himself off, and he felt a twinge of pain in his chest. He had almost used the 'love'. Such a complex word. He couldn't use that right now. He heard her take a seat on the floor, but he heard her right by the door frame. She was so close by that it almost hurt. He wanted to reach for her and touch her.

"Chat," he heard her say. He closed his eyes and listened to her speak. "Thank you for doing all of this for me. I'd be dead without you. My parents would be worried sick about me...and Ayla wouldn't have a clue where I was either. You're one of a kind."

He smiled, but he blushed a little bit. Her words were kind, and they eased the pain he was feeling in his chest. _'No, you're one of a kind.'_ He laid against the wall, and tried to find the words he wanted to shout out to the world. The words that had been in his heart for oh so long now. They couldn't come out now though. So instead, he tried to say the next best thing that was on his mind.

"Ladybug," he said aloud. "There's a boy you like from your school, right?"

He heard her shift from the other side of the wall. "...Yeah...what about him?"

"Who knows you better? The real you. The person you really are deep down inside. This guy you like, or me?"

There was silence for several minutes, and he wondered for a long while if he had stepped over a boundary, but then she spoke. "You do."

He felt his heart leap with joy. He was smiling. It was the only encouragement he needed. "Ladybug?"

"Yeah..." she answered.

"I've had something I've been wanting to tell you for a long time now."

She didn't shift or move. She just answered. "Is there?" He sensed that there was no surprise in her tone. He knew that all of Paris knew. She knew as well. It would take a complete moron to not know. Still, he was going to say it this time.

He took in a deep breath and finally the worlds came out. "I'm in love with you."


	7. Maybe Something More

Unmasked

Chapter 7

Marinette knew it had been coming for a long time now. Though part of her always felt like his feelings weren't real. That a confession would be flirty and sound fake. His current words sounded anything but fake. It sounded exactly like she did in her fantasies of confessing to Adrien. It sounded honest. It sounded warm. Most of all, it sounded loving. Her hand fell over her chest, over her heart. Her heart was racing and pounding so hard it felt as though it were hitting up against her rib cage.

She never expected to be confessed to like that. Never in a million years. She was without words. Even so, she shifted closer to the doorway, and she leaned over, reaching her hand out to him. She felt nothing for a moment, but then she felt his warm hand grasp hers. It was the first time their hands were actually grasping with just bare skin. "Chat...," she finally managed to spit out.

"It's okay if you don't feel the same," she heard Chat's voice. "I've been wanting to tell you since last year at Valentine's. I just wanted it off my chest." That sounded a little less honest to Marinette, but she appreciated him trying to comfort her and put her at ease. "You're an incredible partner," he continued. "I'm very lucky to have you in my life."

Marinette was able to find her words. "I'm the lucky one. You've been there for me for nearly two years now. Despite practically begging me a few times, you respected my wish to keep my identity secret. You fought alongside me. You're the only one I ever want to be partners with."

It wasn't a confession of love, but it was her way of expressing how important he actually was to her, even it was only as a partner. She didn't know how exactly she felt about him. She cared for him a great deal, that much she knew. She also had such an attraction to Adrien, and loved him. Yet, she couldn't tell if she did for Chat Noir or not. Why was it so difficult to describe how she felt?

"That's the Ladybug I love," she heard him chuckle. "Even as yourself, you're the same amazing girl."

Her eyes went wide. "Y-You think I'm amazing...as myself?"

Her cheeks were red and she released his hand, only to cover her face in embarrassment. He didn't seem offended. "Why wouldn't I think that? You're the same person. It's like Tikki said the other day. She's the mask, you're the hero, with or without mask."

Her fingers traced the edges of the mask, and her mouth hung open. "With...or without."

She couldn't image saving the day without her mask. She tried to imagine it. No matter how hard she tried. "Who got us out of the glass box, Evillustrator put us in? Not a girl in a mask, but a girl, who I now know was pretending to be a massive fangirl of mine."

"You remember that?" she gasped.

"What can I say? The cute girl who fearlessly tried to help me fight a dangerous enemy almost a year ago left an impression on me," she went red again by his story. Why was he able to do this to her so easily. "And let's not forget Anti-Bug. You saved me as yourself. That was hard to not peek."

"Chat...you're making me blush a lot here."

He chuckled to himself. "Well, if you could see my face, it's pretty red right now too. After all you're the one who called me that day and referred to herself as 'cute'. I do believe you were flirting with me that day." It was making it worse. Oh so worse. If she was blushing anymore she was sure that the blood would start coming out of her ears. She had been flirting with him. "There was also the matter of…that kiss."

' _Noooooo!'_ She screamed in her mind. Why did he bring up the kiss?

"It was the only way to save you," she tried to defend her actions. Though her hand touched her lips instinctually. She had felt an electric shock that day when their lips met. "It was no big deal, just a quick peck. I can't even remember it."

She brought her knees to her chest and hugged her body. "Maybe, I can change that."

"Change that?"

Marinette removed her mask from her face. She studied the mask for several seconds, biting her lips nervously. She couldn't believe her mind was going there. She placed the mask on the floor by the door. She lightly pushed it out of the door frame. "Put it on," she ordered him.

"What?" she heard him ask in confusion.

"Tikki, Plagg, could you give us a moment" Marinette asked.

"W-what are you doing?" Chat asked again.

Tikki let out a giggle, and grabbed Plagg by the arm and left into the second bedroom. After a few moments of silence, Marinette drew her attention to Chat Noir. "Are you wearing the mask?"

"Y-yeah," he answered. She kind of giggled to herself. He had all the power a few moments ago, but now she did.

"Good," she answered. She stood to her feet, and moved out of the bedroom. She looked down at him and smiled. He was wearing the mask. It was a very feminine mask, and he looked pretty silly with it on, but he was wearing it for her.

He actually looked nervous. Just like when she tried to kiss him when he was possessed by Cupid's hate arrow. Only she knew his reaction was going to be very different this time around. She bend down to her knees and sat on her legs in front of him. She reached for him and ran her hands through his blonde bangs. He had put the mask on quickly and hadn't fixed his hair underneath.

He gasped at the contact, and their eyes met, but only for a moment as Marinette closed her eyes and tilted her head to one side. She leaned in to press her lips up against his. The moment before their lips touched she heard him mumble her heroine name under his breath. Their lips touched and his arms were around her body. She had one arm around his shoulders, and her other hand was in his hair. The kiss was a lot more intense than she actually meant for it to be, but at this moment, she didn't seem to care.

She felt safe and protected in his arms. She always felt safe with him, but at this very moment she felt a lot more. Though she couldn't make out what that was. And as their lips moved across each other she felt her heart leap. She had never experienced this before.

She drew away and looked at Chat Noir who looked breathless. Then she realized she was too. How didn't she notice that at first? His eyes were heated and warm, but not with anger. What With something else she couldn't put her finger on. "M-my Lady," he gasped. "Not…that I'm complaining, but I'm getting mixed signals here."

She rested her forehead against his shoulder. "I realize that now too. I'm sorry."

"Again, I'm mostly definitely not complaining," he replied.

She pushed herself off of him and sat back next to him, resting up against the wall. She looked down at her bare feet, having a hard time saying anything to him. He opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly his phone in his pocket began to buzz. Both jumped, but he quickly answered it when he realized that it was Natalie.

"H-Hello?"

"Adrien! Where are you? The school said you left at lunchtime!"

"Oh!" Adrien stated, realizing he never returned to school. It was late afternoon now. "I wasn't feeling good. I didn't think I'd make it home, so I'm at the guest apartment."

"Why there?" she questioned him.

"I vomited all over myself and I was rather embarrassed," he lied. "I took a nap, but I feel better now. I'll come home now."

"Do you want me to send a driver?" she asked.

"No!" Adrien snapped. "Its fine. I'll be there in a few."

He scrambled to his feet. "I'm sorry My Lady, but I must leave."

She sent him a smile and shrugged her shoulders letting him know it couldn't be helped. "I'm sure your mom is just worried."

Adrien realized that she must have thought Natalie was his mom. It was probably best she didn't know otherwise. "I'm going to take the mask off," he warned her. She nodded and covered her eyes. "Until next time kittycat."

He removed the mask and placed it beside her. He resisted the urge to kiss her forehead, and turned to the second bedroom. "Plagg, it's time to go home."

The black Kwami floated out of the bedroom and jumped into Adrien's jacket. He smiled down at his Lady. "Until next time, My Lady."

8 8 8

Adrien took a seat next to Nino. Both had their attention drawn to the crowd of their classmates who were gathered around someone's phone watching a video. He was instantly uninterested, knowing it was a video about Ladybug. Apparently the story about her reappearing sparked theories that Marinette wasn't even human. And Chat Noir's stunt with the helicopter sealed the deal that he was in love with her. Cue more gossip.

"Don't they ever give up?" Adrien grumble to Nino.

Nino shrugged. "Hard to say. Though I agree. I feel really bad for Marinette. She shouldn't have to deal with this. At least she had Chat Noir to help her."

"Yeah," Adrien agreed. "I bet he did everything he could to help her when she got hypothermia."

"What did you say?"

Alya had just come into the classroom and had heard him. Her eyes were wide and hurried over to his desk, and stood in front of him, leaning over the desk. "Where did you hear that she had hypothermia?"

Alya was keeping her voice low, but Adrien's eyes were wide. He realized now what was wrong. No one from the media ever reported her having hypothermia. "Um…I…um…"

"Adrien!" It was Chloe. For once, Adrien was glad Chloe had decided to pounce on him. Alya shot him a look that screamed, 'This isn't over'.

He was terrified. "Um…hi Chloe," he greeted.

She sat beside him at his desk, and wrapped her arms around him. "Did you see that ridiculous display yesterday afternoon?"

Adrien was scared to ask what she meant. "I mean, clumsy, pathetic little Marinette almost got turned into a pancake by clowns! And once again, Chat Noir had to save her. She can't even save Paris properly."

He could sense the anger building in Alya, but he could only glare at Chloe. She ignored his clear annoyance, and continued. "I mean…come on, they were children! Marinette is so pathetic that she should have just let the kids take care of her. Do us all a favo-"

"CHLOE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH!"

Adrien thought that it was Alya at first, but then he realized that it was him. Everyone's attention was drawn to him. Normally he'd try and act naturally, but not this time. Today his blood was boiling. Chloe looked like she had been physically hurt. She was drawn away slightly and the corner of her eyes were watering.

"You're the last person who should be judging Ladybug. She's saved you more times than probably anyone else in Paris, and she doesn't even like you. What does that say about her character, Chloe? Meanwhile, you're selfish, self-centered and your just a plan ol'bully. If it weren't for your father, then you'd be a nobody."

Adrien was angry now. He felt part of his Chat Noir coming out. Ever protective of his Lady. He growled under his breath and stood. Chloe jumped out of the way and he grabbed his things, ready to leave.

Nino and the rest of the class were in shock, especially Alya who seemed very surprised by him above all else, verbally attacking Chloe like he had. Adrien couldn't take the class anymore and decided he had enough of them talking about Marinette like she was entertainment and not a person.

So he hurried out of the classroom and into the hall. Alya had run after him, and followed him even as he hurried down the stairs. "You're him, aren't you?"

He didn't stop, and she didn't stop. Alya sped up and stopped at the foot of the stairs, blocking his route. "Only Marinette, myself and Chat Noir knows that Marinette nearly died of hypothermia. So you have to be him. Plus you just told Chloe off in a way Chat had told off the media yesterday. I already know the answer, but I want to hear it from you. Are you Chat Noir?"

He looked down defeated. Alya was too smart for her own good. "Does it really matter?"

"Of course it matters," Alya scolded him. "My best friend's life is in Chat Noir's hands. You're hands!"

"I know that!" he shot back. "You think I don't know that? Marinette needs me, and is counting on me."

It was as good of a confession as she was going to get, but Alya didn't grin or gloat. Instead she looked at him sternly. "Does she even know? Does she know that you're Chat? You know perfectly well she's in love with you."

"I've tried to tell her," Adrien explained. "But she's insistent that I keep my identity secret, even from her."

Alya grumbled something under her breath and looked at him with a serious and worried look. "And what happens to this plan when she chooses one of you…say Chat Noir, and wants nothing to do with Adrien, or vice versa. How would that make you feel?"

He didn't like being put on the spot like this. Marinette loved his everyday self; she had for a long time. He knew that now. And he hated being made to feel bad because she felt like she was protecting him from the world.

"As soon as this blow's over, I'll tell her. First thing," he told her. "I'll try to not be all overly romantic or flirty until then."

Alya rolled her eyes. "For a flirt you really don't know what wins a girls heart."

He seemed confused, but he smiled at her. "In any case, I'm going to be leaving school, just until everything is settled and back to normal. I'll probably be reported as missing."

"Why?"

Adrien sighed. "There's this guy, whose creating all of the Akuma. He could be coming after Marinette soon. I think we should stick together. I guess being stressed out by the gossip is a reasonable excuse to get away and help Marinette."

Alya sighed and nodded. "I know what that's like. I don't want to hear it either. Are you just going to stay at the apartment?"

"No," Adrien replied. "We've been there too long, and if I go missing, they'd look for me there. We haven't visited Marinette's family yet…so I think I'll pack her up and I'll take her home tonight."

Alya nodded her head. "Want me to give a heads up to her parents after school?"

Adrien nodded. "That would be great."

A/N: So fricken tired. This chapter was hard….like omg hard. I hope you enjoy it anyway. Let me know what you think.


	8. A lesson in Education

A/N: You guys really like this story. I've had so many PM's asking when I would update. This isn't even my best stuff guys. It's all good I love you all! Enjoy!

Unmasked

Chapter 8

Adrien entered the apartments from the balcony. He was transformed of course and carried a large overnight bag on his shoulders. Marinette seemed confused to see him so early in the day. He wasn't sure how he was going to explain everything to her. "Hey!" he greeted casually.

"You're so early!" she gasped. "Did something happen?"

"No," he lied. "I was just concerned about the whole Hawkmoth threat. Maybe we should move every few days. And I promised your parents we'd visit them soon. So I asked your friend, Alya to tell your parents we'd be there just before nightfall."

"Just before? I can't go out like this," she stated, gesturing to all of herself.

"Actually, it's the best time. I snagged few things," he explained. He put his bag down and opened it up taking out a black wig.

Marinette seemed to understand what the plan was, but she was concerned about a few more things. "What about your face?"

He flashed her a grin, as he reached into his bag again and he pulled out two more items. He easily pulled out a pair of sunglasses and a black mask that he had finally remembered.

"So, disguise," she stated. "Very clever, kitty."

He sent her a smile. "So, we can clean up, leave here by 2pm or so, and if we walk most of the way and act naturally, by 4pm we should reach your parent's place. They're going to keep the back door unlocked for us."

Marinette smiled at him. That oh so sweet smile that made his heart race. "You thought of everything."

"I had help from Alya," he confessed.

"How is she?" Marinette asked. "Did she say anything about...our class?"

The way that she spoke made him realize that she was really asking about the gossip in class. "Nothing," he said. He was lying again. Not to protect his identity this time but because he didn't want to tell her about him screaming at Chloe. Part of him wanted her to not worry about Adrien. Another wanted her attention on him, not on his alter ego. He wanted to badly to tell her who he was. He wished it was possible. Unfortunately, he had promised that he'd protect his identity at all costs.

"Well, that's good at least," she replied. She picked up her dishes from breakfast and brought them to the kitchen to clean them. Adrien untransformed in the bedroom and out his mask on. He began to help her clean, started in the bedroom he was already in. He neatly made the bed and made sure to make it look like no one had slept in it in months. They had a maid who cleaned the apartment once a month, and he didn't want anyone to suspect them. Plagg hovered over him and watched him tidy up the bedroom.

"You're lying to her an awful lot to her today," Plagg commented.

Adrien seemed annoyed. "You know perfectly well that she wants me to protect my identity with my life. So I have to lie a little bit to protect it."

"Seems like a bad way to start off a relationship," Plagg said to him. "Which is why I will always prefer cheese to romance."

Adrien rolled his eyes at the Kwami but then sighed. He knew that Plagg had some very good points. He didn't want to lie to Marinette. He wanted to run out to that living room and remove his mask. He wanted to reveal his identity to her. He always had. She had made it very clear that she wanted no such thing. He complied because he knew it was her way of protecting him from what she was going through. Though, Adrien suspected if he ever did reveal his identity, it would be bigger news than when Ladybug did. He could see the headline now. "FAMED DESIGNERS SON: SUPERHERO BY NIGHT". Perhaps then the media would leave her alone a lot more.

Marinette poked her head in, seemingly relieved that he was wearing a mask. She walked over to Plagg and smiled. "Hey Plagg, I was packing up the fridge and I found a little something you may like."

Plagg gasped and was snooping around Marinette, searching for the precious cheese. Adrien seemed surprised. Even more so when Marinette revealed the cheese to him. The little Kwami grabbed it and ate it within seconds. Marinette giggled.

"How did you know he loved cheese?" Adrien asked. He hadn't ever told her.

"Tikki told me," she explained. "She saw the cheese in the fridge as I was packing it up, and she commented that it was his favorite. It's less to carry, and better to recharge. Tikki is eating a little too."

"T-Tikki is eating MY CHEESE!" Plagg zoomed out of the room disappearing in seconds.

"Wow..." Marinette said wide-eyed. "Tikki was right, he is obsessed."

"It's all he will eat," Adrien sighed. "I have to carry it around in my bag all day."

Marinette giggled. "Sounds like a burden."

Marinette walked over to where her she left her bag. She knelt down and picked it up. She gathered a few items around the room and packed them up. She helped Adrien tidy up around the room. Then both moved into the living room. They shared a good laugh as they watched Tikki playing tease Plagg over his cheese. The black kwami was annoyed and sat on at the edge of the counter, pouting when Tikki ate the last of the cheese.

Both young heroes cleaned the living room when the two Kwami calmed down. Then they split up. Marinette did the bathroom, and Adrien finished up the kitchen. They gathered a few items and placed them by the door. By the time they finished up, and Adrien was satisfied that the apartment was clean enough, it was a quarter after two. It was later than he expected, but it was better late than never.

Marinette had put on her brown colored wig, and put on some high fashioned clothes her mother had packed for her as a disguise. Things she had designed over the last year or so. Fancier than she would normally wear, and looked higher class. She put on a warm fall coat her mother had lent her.

Adrien had put on the black haired wig and put a fall hat on over top. He turned his back to her removed the black mask, and covered his face by putting on the large sunglasses. They covered his face just as well as his mask. He put one bag over his shoulder, and she did the same. They split the groceries between them. They wouldn't need the food at Marinette's parent's place, but Adrien didn't want to risk anyone knowing that someone had been staying in the apartment.

Both were ready. So both Kwami hid in their human's bags. With a nod, they left the apartment through the door. Adrien locked the door behind him, and they were off. It was a long walk, but both teenagers were in good shape. Adrien, like Marinette, had removed the sin card and battery from his phone. Unlike Marinette though, he had tossed it in the garbage in a bin near the school. He didn't want to be found. Not until he was ready.

Marinette seemed to actually be enjoying herself. To be out and about again seemed to be a real treat for her. And even better, no one batted an eye at neither of them. It was a little after four o'clock when they reached the bakery. By then, both were pretty exhausted.

The front of the bakery still had a lot of people visiting, and lots of flowers and gifts were up front. Many of the flowers were wilted now, and the gifts had seen better days. Marinette had heard about the shrine people had turned the front of her family's bakery into. Seeing it in person was another thing altogether though.

"Whoa..." she uttered.

"Yeah..." he replied.

He took her hand and moved across the street. They passed the shop, and Marinette glanced at the stuff laid out as they did. She didn't know how to even react. They continued down the street, and they quickly turned down the back alley. Marinette moved ahead, reaching the back door first. She reached for it and opened it. She smiled. It was unlocked. She pulled open the door and burst in.

"Mom! Dad!" she called.

They weren't far away. Her mother Sabine burst into the back room, and before Marinette could react, her mother had her arms around her and was embracing her daughter. Her father, Tom wasn't far behind. Marinette was so relieved when she felt her parents embrace. After several minutes, they parted again.

"We were so worried," Sabine told her daughter.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I...just felt...awful. I was scared you'd be disappointed in me."

"You're our Marinette, we'd never be disappointed."

Marinette looked down. "Because of me you haven't been able to open the bakery...you've lost so much money because of me."

"Don't worry about us," Sabine warned her daughter. "That's our job."

Sabine now drew her attention to Adrien who was standing in the doorway. Despite the wig and sunglasses, she knew it had to be him. "Thank you," Sabine greeted him.

Marinette and Adrien were both guided upstairs shortly after. All the curtains were drawn, and the home was pretty dark. "After Chat Noir visited us, we caught some paparazzi trying to peak into the house, so we drew the curtains," Tom explained.

Marinette's shoulders dropped hearing this, but she tried to remain strong. They went up to Marinette's bedroom. Marinette felt instant relief as she entered her bedroom. At least she felt some comfort being in her bedroom once again. Relief overcame her. She placed her bags down, and removed her wig, letting her hair down. Adrien had only been in her bedroom once before. He hadn't been able to take it all in, as an Akuma was attacking Marinette. He did now and smiled. It was so...Marinette. He saw the dozens of photos she had of Adrien in several of his model shoots. He chuckled.

She walked up to her ladder and passed out on her own bed. Tikki flew out of her bag and flew up to Marinette's side. Adrien had turned his back on her and removed the wig and sunglasses. He fixed his hair as it sat flat on his head from the wig. He put his mask back on and continued to look around. He could see a computer chair. He took a seat, sighing in relief.

"Well, we made it," he heard her from the direction of her bed. Plagg was zooming around the bedroom. Tikki was hovering around Tikki. Adrien was exhausted just exhausted. The last few days had been a lot for both teenagers.

"Yeah, we did," Adrien replied. Not that it was actually a challenge. They had gotten there with some ease. Marinette was laying on her side on her bed and was watching him.

"I feel safer here," she told him.

He smiled at her. "I'm glad.

Adrien and Marinette dosed off, and only woke up an hour later when Sabine came knocking and brought in some dinner. Adrien felt groggy, but he sat up when he smelt the delicious food. He was surprised to find that it was homemade pizza. Made in full Italian style. "Whoa!" Adrien stated, surprised by the smell of the food.

Marinette seems just as excited, exclaiming that it was her favorite. Tom entered the room, and the four sat down on the floor together. They ate the pizza as a family and chatted away. Her parents brought up funny stories from her childhood, which made her blush, but Adrien listened eagerly. It was at this moment that Adrien felt like he was part of a family for the first time in a long time. Not since his mother had died in a car accident two years earlier.

When the pizza was done, Sabine turned to her daughter. "Marinette, I was going through some of your things in the basement the other day, and I found something that brought back some great memories for me. I thought you may enjoy it as well."

Marinette tilted her head in confusion. "What?"

She pulled a large object out of her pocket. She handed it to Marinette. She took it from her mother and gasped. It was a small yo-yo that was glittery and sparkly. Adrien leaned over and looked over in amusement. "So even as a kid, you liked yo-yo's?"

"Liked them?" Tom laughed. "You kidding, she used it constantly. Even went to an afterschool club for them when they were back in style a few years ago. Won a few awards for her skills."

"When we realized that Marinette was Ladybug, we were reminded of her days playing with his yo-yo for hours on end," Sabine told Adrien.

Marinette played with the yo-yo a little big as she sat, and performed a few simple tricks. When she was done, she placed the yo-yo in her purse. When Sabine stood with the dishes to clean them. Marinette climbed to her feet and went to help her mother with the dishes, just like she did every night. When they were gone, Adrien and Tom were left alone. Adrien stood, and Tom followed suit.

"Thank you for the dinner," Adrien thanked the older gentleman. "It was the best meal I've had in a long time."

"We should be thanking you," Tom told the young hero. "You've risked a lot for the sake of our daughter."

"I-it's nothing," he replied, though his cheeks burned.

"It isn't, to us," Tom explained. "Marinette is our precious child, and we love her very dearly. We can never repay you for all that you've done." Tom placed a hand on Adrien's shoulder. He was smiling down at the young man. "Just so you know. I've seen the way you look at Marinette. It's the way I looked at my wife twenty years ago when we met. Normally I'd be worried about a masked boy who took an interest in my daughter, but your actions spoke much louder than your words ever could."

Adrien flushed redder than before and he was without words. Tom just chuckled at him and patted his shoulder. "We'll bring a cot up for you to sleep in."

"T-Thank you, sir," Adrien was finally able to spit out.

8 8 8

Alya burst into Marinette's bedroom with a start the next morning. Both hero's woke from their sleep. Alya cried out to get their attention. "Wake-up!" she cried.

Marinette, clumsy as ever fell out of her bed. While Adrien couldn't help but sit up in surprise, with the messiest bed head ever.

"What's wrong?" Marinette asked as she jumped to her feet.

"The school! There's an Akuma attack!" she cried. "I managed to escape but the rest of the school is closed off. Students and teachers are locked up in the classrooms."

Marinette jumped to her ladder and climbed down to Alya. Tikki was already by her side. Marinette quickly transformed with Tikki. With his mask still on, Adrien followed suit with Plagg. Once transformed, the duo ran to Marinette's balcony.

"We're going to blow our cover," Chat Noir told her. She cursed under her breath. She knew that too, but the students and teachers were in trouble.

"I'd rather our classmates not die," Marinette told him.

He smiled at her. "That's the Ladybug I know, always thinking of others."

Both ran off of the balcony, jumping and leaping to the streets below. The media were already there for yet another morning report. Fans were gathered too, but they ignored them and headed straight for the school. Both used their abilities to scale the school and climb to the roof.

Carefully, they peered inside but found no trace of anything or anyone. Marinette studied the area and carefully climbed down. Chat Noir followed her and the two ended up on the highest floor hallway.

Carefully, Marinette peered into a classroom and studied the scene. Then she gasped and pulled back. "W-What?" Adrien asked.

"The students are inside, except, there writing lines," she explained.

"So?"

"So is the teacher! And they're all run out of paper, so their writing on the desks now," she continued.

"Oh...that's what wrong," he said. "So...sounds like an Akuma who's an authority figure."

Marinette's mouth hung open and she pulled on Chat Noir's arm to get his attention. "What?" he asked. She pointed up in the center of the school, floating at their level.

There was a man. A large man, who appeared like a mix between a man and a bull. He was so powerful looking. In his hands, he held a stock of papers, and he looked ready to throw them at the two heroes.

"Oh..." Chat Noir managed to mutter out loud. The bull-like man threw one of the papers at them. They both dodged, and Marinette looked back to see what the piece of paper was. In clear letters, she saw the words "Detention." She dodged another. "Definitely an authority figure," she called to Chat Noir.

He had jumped down to the first level and was dodging a few items. He had pulled out his staff and wacked a few papers away, though he had heard her. The bull man looked right at Marinette and his eyes burned red. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng, you are an unneeded troublemaker."

Marinette used her yo-yo to attack and hit the bull man, but nothing happened. He threw her off like an insect. She managed to land again, and dodge more attacks. She dived into a classroom that was currently empty. She threw her yo-yo into the air and cried out, "Lucky charm!"

'Please have something really useful,' she pleaded.

In her hands dropped a CD, labeled 'Relaxation'. "The heck am I supposed to do with this," she cried. The classroom door burst open and she cried out when the Akuma stood in the doorway.

"Get away from her!" Chat Noir cried. He jumped on the bull's head and tried to pull him from the doorway. "Lady, get out of here!"

Marinette listened to him, sliding in through the door, nearly getting hit by the flailing bull. "Distract him longer, I have an idea!"

Marinette needed to get to the principal's office. He had a small stereo in there and the intercom. Maybe she could play it on that and play the CD on the school system.

She jumped down to the first level and ran into the office. She burst into the office. It was empty but she found the CD player and she loaded the player up. The office was filled with soft music. She ran to the microphone attached to the principal's desk. And she turned it on. Instantly she heard the music fill the halls and classrooms.

She ran back to the center of the school and watched to see what happened. The bull man was flailing around, and Chat Noir was still on him. The bull man hit the railing and began to fall over it, bringing Chat Noir him.

Marinette panicked and she threw her yo-yo at the railing, throwing it up. He was falling, but as Marinette started to be pulled up, she grabbed the falling cat. They landed on the third floor and watched as the bull man began to shrink and curl up. Marinette watched as she noticed a flower sticking out from his front pocket.

She pulled out her yo-yo again and took aim. She threw the yo-yo, knocked the flower to the ground. The Akuma butterfly began to come out. She threw the yo-yo again captured the butterfly, purifying it. "Bye, Bye little butterfly," she stated as the white butterfly flew off into the sky. Both heroes made it down to the office, where Marinette grabbed the CD. They went back out to the center of the school and Marinette threw it into the air. "Miraculous Cure!"

There was a large flash of light, and the person possessed was freed, revealed to now be the principal. The students were freed, and the front entrance was now unlocked. Students began to flood into the hallways, and Marinette froze as they began to peer down at her. Her heart was racing in her chest. Her own classmates came out of the classroom and were peering down at her. She took a step back, but Chat Noir stood in front of her protectively.

She could hear the sound of people talking amongst themselves, but Marinette felt her heart race, as she was unable to face the people staring at her and talking about her. Chat Noir took hold of her hand. "We're going to climb up the school wall," he told her. "We're not going to look back and we're going to get out of here."

Marinette shook her head. "N-no," she whispered to him. "My Miraculous is about to run out."

He grabbed her and lifted her up bridal style. "I'll take care of it princess." He sent her a wink, but he leap up, landing on the first floor, and then again, and on the second floor. One more time and he was on the third floor. And yet again, and they were on the roof. Just at that moment, her miraculous ran out, and with a quick light, Marinette untransformed. She tightened her grip when she realized that once again the media were up above, taping it all.

"Damn," he groaned. "Hold on tight."

They were off, jumping from roof top to roof top. They were not going to lose them. He knew that much. It was probably better that they went the long way around than if they traveled on the ground. Crowds were nearby now. Marinette looked at Chat Noir with a sad expression. "This isn't going to end, is it?"

"Fear not," he tried to assure her. "The media always moves on."

A few more roof's, and they landed on Marinette's balcony. They moved inside and Marinette ran downstairs to let her parents and Alya know they were alright. There was no answer when she called out. She entered the living room. Nothing. She called out again and went downstairs. Still no answer. She went into the bakery. She called out. No answer. But then Marinette noticed something on the floor. Her eyes went side and she took a step back. On the floor was a large pink butterfly shape that was on the hardwood floor.

She covered her mouth and then fell to the floor. Chat Noir came down the stairs and was looking for her. He froze as he saw the same thing she had. "God no..."

Marinette looked up at him. "H-he took them," she cried. "The school. It was a distraction. It was just a distraction to take them." Tears fell down her cheeks and she jumped to her feet. "We have to go get them!"

"No!" Adrien told her. "He's expecting us to just run into battle. We need to at least be ready."

"B-But my parents...Alya."

"I know!" he cried. "You need to get Tikki some food. And I need to get Plagg some. We need to recharge."

Marinette understood, and she felt fear come up inside of her. She grabbed his hand and rushed him into the kitchen. "Untransform and grab something to eat."

Adrien watched as she dashed past him and ran to her room to get some supplies he assumed. He untransformed, and grabbed some cheese in the kitchen. Plagg ate it up quickly, and then they transformed once again. When Marinette came downstairs, she was transformed and she had her small purse with her.

"What's the purse for?" he asked.

"I have a few quick snacks for Tikki and Plagg if we need them, and a few...lucky charms, for myself," she explained. "I bet it sounds silly, but I need some lucky right now."

Adrien smiled at her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're my lucky charm, so I understand. Now...let's get Alya and your parents back."

A/N: In case anyone is interested. I am re-write an old novel of mine from scratch. It's a fantasy, action adventure romance. I am looking for test readers. Not for grammar, but if you feel like it, great! I am looking for feedback on the story itself. One or two people would be appreciated. It wouldn't be all at once. A chapter maybe once a week or every two weeks.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! See you all next time!


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